


Mon Ange

by slytherin_drarry_lover



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Good Tom Riddle, M/M, Master of Death Harry Potter, Sane Tom Riddle, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26351332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherin_drarry_lover/pseuds/slytherin_drarry_lover
Summary: Everyone has a soulmate, they are identified by the marks on their wrist, and once they meet, shared dreams and telepathic communication.Harry’s soulmate is taken on one fateful night along with his parents. Sirius and Remus are left to raise him, with a little help from Death.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter & Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 127





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Welcome to Mon Ange! 
> 
> I also have a wattpad account under the same username with a few more stories. 
> 
> If you see any typos or any other mistakes, feel free to let me know, criticism is welcomed and I know my writing isn’t perfect.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy and sorry in advance!

July 30, 1981

An infant, head full of raven black hair and wide, shining green eyes, watched contentedly as a large black dog ran between the legs of a honey-haired man. His mother, a woman with flaming red hair and bright green eyes, and his father, a man with untidy black hair and hazel eyes hidden behind glasses, sat behind him, watching the antics of the others with a fond smile adorned on their faces.

The infant was an odd child. He rarely ever cried, unless hurt, and always seemed to stare off at the blank expanse of a burgundy wall. He was an intelligent child as well. Though only a year old, he could understand almost everything the adults said and was relatively close to speaking in full sentences, but definitely preferred silence.

Said infant was currently enjoying pre-birthday excitement, an echoed feeling from the others. He crawled a little closer to his mother and turned his bright green eyes to the mark upon his wrist. To him, it was just strange symbols and odd design. To others, however, it a name and his soulmate mark.

Everyone was born with a soulmate, their name, and a unique design imprinted on their wrist since birth. They would be able to communicate through thoughts and would share dreams, though only after one had met their soulmate. Once someone had met their soulmate and shared their first dream the marks on their wrist would turn colors, different for each pair. Some would never find their soulmate and they would be alone forever. If someone's soulmate died, then the entire mark would fade.

The small group continued to spend the day around the family's current home, Godric's Hollow. They laughed, played, talked, or in the younglings case, babbled, and just enjoyed each other's company.

The next day held many to-be-treasured memories for everyone. The group had gone to the iconic Diagon Alley. They bought books, toys, art supplies, clothes, candy, and even a pet that was hidden from the babe. They were going to take a quick ice cream break when they, quite literally, bumped into a young man. He wore refined robes that greatly accentuated his sharp, young features of intense crimson eyes and a pale face framed by dark chocolate locks.

He quickly apologized and helped the group collect their fallen belongings before they could be taken by the streets' vultures. He eyed the young child in his mother's arms curiously. The woman quickly noticed and went to introduce the young child. The man walked a tad closer and hesitantly reached a pale hand to run along the child's cheek. The honey-haired man caught a flash of the well known black ink before it disappeared back under the man's sleeve as he moved back. With a soft smile on his face, the young man thanked them and made his leave out of the alley. 

They decided to make the ice cream a to-go order and swiftly made their way home after a tiring couple of hours. To add to their decision, the infant had started to doze off at their last stop and had become rather quiet. The group quickly made to the family's home and migrated to the kitchen to eat their slightly melted ice cream.

The infant stared at his small portion of vanilla with shimmering sugar crystals. He picked up his spoon and plopped it into his bowl. He stirred the mixture for a while, watching the colors seep from the crystals into the yellow-white glob before he sent flying onto the ceiling.

The group stared at him wide-eyed until his father and the man-dog started to laugh. His mother and the honey-haired man rushed forward to take his spoon, bowl, and clean the ceiling with a swish of the stick they always seemed to carry on them. He giggled and clapped loudly with his hands in emphasis before he stopped short at the sound of a deep chuckle in his head. He looked at the two men who had been previously letting joyous sounds tumble from them. But they had ceased their laughter and had, instead of taken to watching him while the ate their cold treats. He slowly clapped his hands again and pouted when the noise did not reappear. He looked around again and his pout turned even bigger.

The others noticed and attempted to cheer him up. He fiercely participated in the activities, all in the hope to gain another sound. He soon tired himself from the chasing, loud laughs, and endless tickles and was taken to lie in his crib. He watched golden spheres with wings flutter above his head before he turned to the side and gripped his favorite plushy, a doe, closer to his chest. He closed his eyes, only to snap them open at a smooth voice. He looked at the door and huffed in frustration when no one came through. He closed his eyes again and allowed the sands of Morpheus to take him to his land of dreams.

In his land of dreams he usually was greeted with flurries of colors and familiar faces, but not this time. This time, there was a worn leather chair placed at an angle in front of a fireplace, filled with softly glowing, dying embers. He looked around, trying to collect more details with wide, curious green eyes, but the room seemed to blur together. If he focused on one area for too long then it faded and changed.

The infant whipped his head around when he heard a sharp intake of breath, and saw a vaguely familiar face. It was the man from the Alley. The man slowly walked towards the infant and stroked his cheek with long, pale fingers. The youngling leaned into the man's touch and cooed. the man chuckled and leaned further down to sweep up the child in his arms. The child laughed and fisted the expensive material. The man sat down in the armchair, child held in his lap, and simply observed the child. The child did the same to the man, running a soft hand along the man's face and softly curled hair, and the pair sat in near silence, aside from the occasional babbles or coos from the infant and the deep chuckles the rang from the man in response. They sat happily, both well aware that they had found their soulmate.

The boy woke slowly out of his deep slumber and, after a moment or two, started to squeal and laugh in delight. He sat up and started to wave his arms around the air, catching sight of the black mark imprinted on his wrist, or at least it used to be black. He brought his wrist a couple of inches from his face and silently observed its' new look. The strange symbol had become a dark green and the design a deep purple, a giant contrast to his pale skin. He started to squeal again and added the loud clapping of his hands to his fit of happiness. He heard a deep, barking laugh in his head, clearly amused by his current mood.

The door burst open and his mother and father rushed in, the sticks they constantly carried on them raised high. The child quieted down but kept the wide grin on his face while his parents looked around the room. Seeing no danger, his parents looked at him, curiosity donning on their faces. The infant clapped his hands and let out a high-pitched squeal, smiling wider than before. His mother made a sound of pure adoration and set down her wand in favor of taking her child into her arms. He giggled and waved his wrist in her face. She gasped and softly grasped his wrist, calling her husband over.

The infant's father came over and gasped as well. He took in his son's grinning face and ruffled the infant's dark hair, smiling softly. The child squealed again and listened to his soulmate's smooth, rich voice whispering to him through their newly formed bond.

His parents took him out into the kitchen where the two other men waited with colorful pointy hats an a big, slightly messy, obnoxiously red, cake. The infant saw, hiding poorly behind the man-dog's back, a box covered with glittering paper, and made an 'oohing' sound before grunting and making grabby hands at it. The man-dog gave a booming laugh before holding it out to the eager child. The child screeched happily and grabbed the box, shaking it intensely and listening to the banging that it gave off. His mother sat him down in his highchair and the whole room watched as the infant tore the shiny paper off. He stared at the plexiglass box hidden by the paper before slapping the side with an excited squeal.

The box held a miniature dragon. It was slightly dazed from the previous shaking of its enclosure, but it still stood tall, roaring and spitting cold flames against the glass. It had large leathery wings, small silver horns, and clawed feet. It watched the young child with vibrant purple, occasionally hidden behind the flutter of black scales.

The child cooed and made grabby hands at the creature while looking towards his mother. His mother laughed and shook her head, patting the child on his head. The infant held a straight face for a moment before his green eyes took on a glint. He formed his face into a pout, eyes becoming watery, and hands curling up into loose fists at his mouth. His bottom lip started to tremble and he made a pitiful whine while he stared longingly at the dragon. He saw the exact moment that his mothers, along with everyone else's, the defense fell and she rushed to open the box and hand her child the dragon.

Said child instantly dropped the expression and smiled dazzlingly at his mother. He watched his dragon as it crawled along his arms and around his shoulders until it decided to make its nest on top of his head.

He listened to the soft voice of his soulmate as the honey-haired man cut his cake. A small piece of dark cake with the red frosting and a single gold candle was placed in front of him. The lights dimmed and the child looked around before looking back at his slice, with a now lit candle that he looked at with curiosity but didn't dare touch.

Voices chorused around him in a cheerful tune, full with grinning faces and slightly teary eyes. The song ended with claps and a smooth vice in his head. His parents came closer to demonstrate blowing out the candle before giving him encouraging words to do it himself. The child frowned slightly, not wanting the pretty flame to disappear, but listened to his parents anyway.

His breath did move the flame, but it didn't blow it out. Instead, the flame followed the flow of his breath and increased in size. It moved and flowed and changed color until it became a much larger, a carbon copy of the creature on his head. He squealed and clapped his hands while the adults looked in shock and awe at both the child and what the child had created. The flame dragon turned to him and blew a small puff of cool flames at the child's face before it disappeared. The child pouted for a moment before remembering his cake and tearing into it. 

The adults stared for a moment before they began to laugh, grab their own slices, and dig in. The child took a piece of cake in his bare hand and reached up. The man-dog went wide-eyed and breathless, while he started to insistently tap on his father's arm and point at the infant. His father watched, eyes glossed over with mischievous glee that matched the man dogs, while his mother and honey hair watched with horror.

The young child ignored their looks and continued to offer the treat to his dragon. The dragon looked at it cautiously, stretched its neck forward, and ate it. The child giggled and brought both his gaze and his hand, back down. He noticed two faces filled with disappointment and the other two with pride. He smiled brightly at the four and continued to eat the cake with his hands.

The child finished, with minimal frosting on his face, and reached his hands out, whining slightly. His mother smiled and waved her stick at his hands. The mess disappeared and the child smiled happily. 

The child reached up and grabbed his dragon, aware of four sets of eyes on him. Green eyes met purple and the infant pointed a finger at the dragon's chest, spouting out the word 'flame' repeatedly.

Flame, as the child had dubbed him, blew a puff of sugary scented smoke at the child before he flew out of his grip to settle back onto his head. The child giggled before starting up a conversation, well actually more like a babbled series of gibberish, with his mother, who answered with exaggerated facials and words.

October 30, 1981

Festivities came quickly and the same small group sat in the same home. They sat in a small circle on the floor, taking turns in giving small displays of magic to entertain the child. The child 'oohed' and 'ahhed', giggling, while sitting in his mother's lap with Flame in his lap.

Lively music played in the background as the group sat for hours, only to be disturbed by a soft, but strong knock on the door. Everyone shared looks and the infant's father stood, his hand gripping his wooden stick tightly. He slowly opened the door with his stick behind his back and a cold look placed on his face.

From the child's place on his mother's lap, he was able to see, surprisingly, his soulmate. The child squealed and clapped his hands excitedly. The group in the house looked at him curiously while his soulmate looked at him with a soft smile. His soulmate introduced himself as the man from Diagon Alley and, seeing the cold, suspicious look on the infant's father's face, held out his marked wrist. The child's father looked at it and made a loud choking noise before hastily pulling the man inside. Everyone looked at them with curious eyes, so the infant's father explained the situation.

The child started to squirm in his mother's arms and, when he wasn't released, started to scream. His mother looked at him with wide eyes and removed her arms from around his waist. The child hastily crawled to his soulmate, the red-eyed man met him in the middle with two wide strides and picked him up. The man held him with a soft smile that turned brighter once the child started to make cooing noises and nuzzle into his chest.

The red-eyed man looked at the other adults nervously and started to make some vows and promises; mostly about not doing anything until the infant was ready and not stealing the child away from the family, but making sure that he visited often. The others nodded their consents but gave death threats if he broke any of his promises.

The festivities continued merrily. The infant showed his soulmate his toys and dragon, eager to share a part of his life with the man, and in return his soulmate performed bits of magic, holding the child securely in his arms. The others cooed at the actions, causing the man to glare lightly as pink dusted his cheeks. The group laughed and talked all night, only stopping once the child's eyes started to droop.

The new pair of soulmates were led into the infant's room, and the redhaired woman conjured and large bed on the opposite side of the crib. The red-eyed man thanked and bid the fire-haired woman goodnight before taking his soulmate with him to curl up in the newly made bed. Flame, who had followed them on, perched delicately on the headboard and watched as the pair fell into a light sleep. All was silent as the house members all fell into the warm comforting hands of sleep, but not all was well.

A strong wind swung the front door open silently and a figure stepped through the threshold. The figure made his way to the guest room, where he cast a strong stunner on man-dog and honey hair, before moving towards the master bedroom and watching the sleeping parents silently for a moment. He raised his stick, spoke two words, and watched as two jets of bright green light left the end and killed the couple that sleeps there.

Before he even reached the infant's room, the figure knew that the air was now wide awake. The red-eyed man from an unknown force and the child from his soulmates sudden departure from the dream that they had been sharing. Both sensed something was wrong and both sat quietly until the figure reached the doorway.

The red-eyed man raised his stick with a sneer as he recognized the figure, clutching his mate tighter to his chest was his only comfort. He glared into the periwinkle eyes of the much, much older man in front of him. The young child clung to his soulmate with confused fear, as the man with a long silver beard raised his stick once more. he felt his soulmate give him a reassuring squeeze, heard him whisper some words under his breath, and, with the slightest of movements of his soulmates wand, felt a warm feeling pass over him.

The intruder pulled his arm back and yelled a spell at the pair before he disappeared with a crack just as the green light left his stick. The infant felt his soulmate press a quick kiss to his forehead before the light enveloped them. He felt nothing but fear as his mate screamed and disappeared with a wisp of black smoke.

The young child sat on the bed, confused and frightened before he felt hot tears fall from his eyes. Flame appeared next to him and the child clung to his creature, wailing in despair. The child was alone for a moment before another figure appeared from the shadows. This figure brought a cold wind with him, that caused the child to shiver, and wore a long black cloak, that the shadows themselves seemed to cling to. The child loosened his grip on the dragon and allowed it to climb onto his back and rest its scaly head on his shoulder. The child sniffled and watched as the figure neared.

The figure raised an arm and allowed one of the long, draping sleeves to fall, revealing a hand of white bone. The child whimpered again and the figure stopped at the edge of the bed. They reached their hand across to the child and ran their bony fingers across the child's head soothingly. The child watched and listened as the figure spoke in comforting tones before the figure disappeared.

The child was silent for a moment before he started to sob. He heard loud voices and the rushing of steps, but he paid no attention to them. He had lost his soulmate.

That night was something that no one expected. No one knew of the murders that would occur. The despair that was left behind. No one would expect that the child had become Death's companion. And no one, absolutely no one, could have expected that the child would remember every single detail that night.


	2. Chapter 2

October 31, 1982

A trio of people stood in front of two headstones in a cemetery that was placed only two blocks from their home. Two men and an infant. One man had honey-colored hair and the other a wild black mane. The child was cuddled between the two. They all stared at the headstones. 'James F. Potter, March 27, 1960-October 31,1981' and 'Lily J. Potter, January 30, 1960-October 31,1981'. The infant was Harry James Potter and the two men were Remus John Lupin and Sirius Orion Black. After Lily and James deaths the three had decided to stay and live in the original home, Godric Hollow. The two men had decided to raise Harry as their own. He was going to have a happy childhood. Well as happy as one could have with their soulmate missing.

Harry hadn't had any dreams since that night, none of his soulmates voice in his head. He wasn't dead, there was no way he could be dead. The mark was still dark as ever but his soulmate was nowhere to be seen. 

The trio stood there for a while, hours maybe before they migrated back to the house and stayed there for the rest of the night, curling up with each other for comfort.

October 31, 1983 

The same trio stood in the same place, only this time they were accompanied by a severe-looking woman with square glasses and her black bun put into a tight bun. She wore an emerald cloak and stood close to the small family with her head bowed and white lilies in her hands. 

Remus held Harry close as the three-year-old looked sadly at the stones. Harry, after a while, started to look at the woman. She smiled at him and reached forward to pat his head affectionately. Harry looked at her and reached his arms forward. The woman smiled again and took him out of Remus' arms. She propped him on her hip and started a childish conversation with Harry. Minnie, as the woman had told Harry to call her, was a teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school that Harry would attend once he turned eleven. 

They left the graveyard and spent the following hours talking and catching up, Harry playing with Minnie and showing her his dragon.

October 31, 1984 

Harry held a small bouquet of wildflowers, that he had collected from the backyard of the Hollow, and stood in front of the graves. Remus, or as he had been told to call Moony, and Sirius, or Padfoot, was standing just behind him, a hand on each of his shoulders. Minnie and a large man with a bushy mane of hair and beard stood to the side of Moony and Padfoot. All watched the child as he placed half of the bouquet on top of each stone. Harry blew a kiss to each grave and, with watery eyes, walked to Padfoot to be held, in which Sirius hastily and happily complied. 

The group stood there for only a few more minutes in silence before they went back to the house for the usual gathering that occurred every year. There was music this time and biscuits that made a good chew toy for Flame. 

Harry was much quieter this year. A figure, the same that had visited after his soulmate had disappeared, was watching over Harry. He talked to Harry on occasion and often visited during mealtimes, which made it all the more confusing to Harry when none of the others seemed to notice his presence. It was a comforting figure so Harry didn't mind. He was there when Harry silently cried at night, mourning the loss of his parents and soulmate. Harry didn't know who this figure was but he appreciated the comfort that he was given.

Harry was growing as well. Physically, he was taller, he was thinning out, his hair they had let grow out until it was at his shoulders, and though he always looked sad his bright eyes gained a glint of mischief. He was advancing academically as well. They were teaching him to read and write and math. He was well versed with them all, though his penmanship needs a bit of work he's only four. He was taking after Sirius a lot though. When they brought him clothes shopping a while back, he had been immediately drawn to the darker, punk-like clothes in the muggles kids section. Sirius had laughed a bit and went around collecting all the items that Harry pointed to while Remus sat there with a shocked and bewildered expression. Let's just leave it as that was a weird day. 

October 31, 1985

Harry was alone this time, by choice of course. He was old enough now and literate enough to have a few words with his parents. Sirius and Remus were waiting at the threshold of the Hollow and were waiting patiently for Harry to give them his sign. Harry stood, empty-handed, and stared at the graves for a while. The figure was there, standing near the graves. His hood was drawn low over his face, bony hands on each of the graves.

"Will I see them again?" Harry asked quietly. He glanced at the figure, though nothing had changed outwardly with the ominous flowing of black robes. 

"You will, though hopefully not anytime soon." A rich, deep voice seemed to come from all around and Harry nodded sadly and, with his advanced wandless magic, conjured two bouquets of white lilies. He looked towards the worried form of Sirius and Remus and waved his hand. When they started to walk towards him he turned back to the figure.

"I'll see you soon?" The figure stepped back, hands slipping off the stones, and looked towards the approaching silhouettes. 

"You shall," Remus appeared with one hand on Harry's shoulder. "Until then Harry." The figure disappeared with a black fog as Sirius placed a hand on his other shoulder. 

"Until then," Harry whispered as he felt a hot tear race down his cheek.

October 31, 1986

Harry sat at the graves early in the morning, just after sunrise, Flame was in his lap and he was talking. Just talking. Not expecting a response, but talking nonetheless. Flame blew reassuring flames every once and a while, sensing Harry's somber mood.

"..And I had some friends over a couple of days ago. I think you knew their parents. The Weasleys, and the Longbottom's. Neville came with his grandmother. I think someone named Bill and Charlie brought Fred, George, and Ron. Something about their dad was working and their mom was taking their sister shopping." Harry pulled at the sleeves of his black hoodie and drew Flame loser as he laid against his mother's stone. "I pulled a couple of pranks on the others with Fred and George. Their twins you know. They are the pranksters of the family. It was fun.

"I don't think their family likes them much though. The rest of them are always yelling at the twins. Its mean, but I like them. Padfoot and Moony like them too. Neville was quiet but he looked like he was having fun. They were all talking about Hogwarts. They all want to go into Gryffindor. I don't know what house. I don't really care, I just want to fit in with my house." Harry sniffled and looked up with tears in his eyes. "I miss you guys. I love you." Harry broke and he started to sob. He pulled Flame into a crushing hug. The small dragon did not complain and comforted Harry the best he could. 

Remus found him there, hours later, with dried tears on his face, asleep. Remus smiled sadly and looked at the graves. 

"I hope you are doing well old friends." Remus picked up the small child and walked back into the house. 

October 31, 1987

Small white flowers were weaved together with small red ones. Two small vines were draped over each headstone. A candle was burning in front of each. Remus, Sirius, and Harry stood in front of the stones with a magical umbrella shielding them from the harsh rain. It pounded on the grass, splattering the trios shoes and bottoms of their trousers. Thunder boomed above and the darkness was filled with the violent and harsh bolts of lightning. It was a quick affair, but a solemn one. The trio spent some minutes in the rain before they headed back to the Hollow for some hot cocoa and a cuddle session in front of the fire. And yes, Harry still did that and he didn't mind. He knew how quickly something can be taken from you.

So they sat, content with each other's comfort. An hour passed and there was a knock at the door. Remus stood up and opened the door, expecting Minnie, but was greeted by a face he hadn't seen since he had graduated from Hogwarts. 

"Headmaster," Remus stumbled back in shock and he opened the door wider with a sweep of his hands. 

"Please, come in." Harry's eyes stayed on the fire, even as Sirius stood up to meet the Headmaster as well."

"Professor, what a pleasure to see you again. It has been quite some time hasn't it." 

"Yes, it has, a delight to see you again. How are you?"

"Good," Remus responded. "Not that I mind, but is there a reason you are here?" There was a small chuckle.

"Yes, I am just here to check up on Harry. As the Head of Wizengamot, it is part of my job to check on the, for lack of a better word, orphans." There was silence for a moment, a moment in which Harry chose to look away from the fire. He looked at Remus and Sirius first and then moved his gaze to the stranger. Harry froze. He knew that man. From the worst night of his life, that man was there. Harry turned back to the fire and felt ripe hot anger boil in his chest. The dance of the flames matched the tempestuous feelings burning through him. A clap of thunder sounded from outside before anyone spoke.

"Harry is fine. He is right here actually." Harry closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, attempting to reign in his emotions. He took a shaky breath and turned back around. Bright green met twinkling blue through half-moon spectacles. Harry's glanced down at the man's atrociously bright robes and long silver beard before he met the man's eyes again. He smiled and stood to walk towards him. He looked at the man with a curiosity that only a child can pull off and watched with barely disguised anger as the man smiled at him.

"Hello Harry," The man said with a honeyed voice. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts." Harry smiled, almost bashfully, and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Harry." Dumbledore smiled almost fondly and gently shook the seven-year-olds delicate hand. 

"It is wonderful to meet you, Harry. I must ask you a few questions and then I will be out of your hair. Is that alright?" Harry smiled brightly and nodded. "Splendid. Now tell me, Harry, do you like living here?" Harry nodded vehemently. "Are you treated well?" Another nod. "Is there anything that you think needs to change?" 

Harry frowned slightly and rubbed his chin in thought.   
"Well," he started slowly. "We never have ice cream for breakfast." Sirius barked out a laugh, as did Remus, and pulled to him with a hand on each of his shoulders. Dumbledore smiles fondly.

"Well, I'll see what I can do about that," Dumbledore shook his head slightly and started towards the door. "I will be taking my leave now. It was a pleasure to see you again Mister Black, Mister Lupin." Remus smiled and waved while Sirius rubbed Harry's shoulders softly."

"You alright Harry? You're a bit tense." Harry dropped his smile and glared at the door. His face twisted into one of anger and he clenched his jaw and hands hard. 

"No, I am not alright." Harry's voice took on a hard edge to it that caused both of his honorary parents to kneel down in front of him in worry.

"What is it, cub? What's wrong?" Harry bared his teeth and growled. 

"Albus Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore is what's wrong."

October 31, 1988

Harry, Sirius, and Remus once again stood in the dreaded cemetery. They simply stared at stones for a while before Harry snapped his fingers, causing a beautiful array of flowers to grow, whispered a few words that neither Remus nor Sirius could hear, and walked back to the Hollow. Sirius looked after the eight-year-old worriedly.

"He'll be alright won't he?" Remus smiled and draped an arm over Sirius' shoulders. 

"He'll be alright Pads." Sirius leaned his head on Remus.

"Are you sure Moons?" Remus chuckled and started to lead Sirius back to the Hollow.

"I'm sure. He's strong. He's like Lily." Sirius barked out a laugh.

"Yeah but he looks like Prongs." Remus hummed in agreement.

"He does. It's uncanny. Do you think he'll need glasses?" Sirius tilted his head a bit before replying. 

"If he does he won't wear them." Remus laughed.

"Why do you say that?" Sirius looked a Remus with a raised brow.

"Seriously, no pun intended-" 

"You always intend the pun."

"-Harry will not wear the glasses with how obsessed he is with clothes. It ruins his look." Remus scoffed and shook his head.

"He gets that from you, you know." Sirius nodded.

"And he gets his brains from you." Remus blushed lightly and shook his head.

"Whatever Pads." The pair stopped at the door and Sirius turned to Remus with sad eyes. 

"Do you ever wonder what they think of us raising their child?" Remus turned his head to look at Sirius. "Do they think we are doing a good job?"

"I hope so," Remus said quietly. "I really hope so."

October 31, 1989

It was late, really late. It was cold, ice was forming on the ground from the previous hours of rain. But Harry didn't mind. A thin blanket was put between the two gravestones and Harry was laying on his back on top of that blanket. With only a pair of sweatpants and a giant hoodie, Harry stared at the starry night sky, thinking.   
He thought of the headmaster. What had they done to deserve this? Why did he kill his parents? What did he do to his soulmate? Why? Harry wanted to know why.   
He thought of his soulmate. Would he ever see him again? Ever share a dream again? Would he ever be able to properly talk to him? Do anything with him? Harry missed him.

He thought of his parents. Would he be able to avenge their deaths? Would they be proud of him if he did? Would they still love him? No matter what? Harry longed for their approval.

He thought of Padfoot and Moony. Was he a burden to them? Would they give him up? Did they love him? If they did, would they ever stop? Harry wanted their love.   
He wanted everything to be alright.

October 31, 1990

Remus, Sirius, and Harry sat on a red checkered blanket with a small brown basket. They were laughing and talking and overall having a good time. They were eating corned beef sandwiches with various types of crisps and biscuits. 

"So are you excited Harry?" Harry tilted his head at Sirius.

"Excited for what, Padfoot?" 

"For what? For Hogwarts of course!" Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder, grey twinkling with his own excitement. Remus rolled his eyes fondly and slapped Sirius on the shoulder.

"Calm down Pads," Remus said with amusement clear in his voice. "Honestly, you sound more excited than he does." Harry smiled and finished chewing his bite of the sandwich before he replied. 

"I can't wait." Sirius gave him an unimpressed look.

"Such enthusiasm Prongslett. Come on, more details. What house do you want? What subjects are you looking forward to? Come on!" Harry frowned in thought for a while before he began his slow reply.

"Well, for my house, green brings out my eyes, and blue goes well with my hair, so either one of those is fine with me. As for the classes," Harry paused here and completely ignored the shocked faces of his honorary parents. "I think charms or potions would be fun. Though from what you constantly go on about, I should be looking forward to Transfiguration." It was a moment of silence before Remus spoke. 

"You're basing your house choice on what looks good on you?" Harry nodded seriously and started as Remus and Sirius laughed.

"What's wrong with wanting to look good?" Harry asked, thoroughly confused. Sirius was sent into a new fit and collapsed on the floor, wheezing. Remus only patted Sirius on the leg and shook his head.

"There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that most kids want to get into a certain house because of the traits that they believe they share." Harry looked at Remus and shrugged.

"I think I share too many traits with all the houses so I don't really care about that," Harry took another bite of his sandwich and set it down on his small plate. "What else do we have in the basket?" Remus shrugged and passed it over to Harry.

"I have no idea, Pads packed it." Harry nodded and opened the basket. He yelped when a small burst of flames came out and hit him straight in the face. He heard a choking sound come from both Remus and Sirius, but he ignored it when he felt the cool flames lick his face. He smiled when the flames stopped and reached inside the basket to pick up the wriggling dragon.

"What am I going to do with you?" Remus sagged in relief when he saw it was just Flame and not one of Sirius' pranks gone wrong. He watched with a light smile on his face as Flame finally wriggled out of Harry's grasp and flew upon his head to make his usual nest. Harry pouted but went back to looking through the basket. His eyes lit up and he glanced at Remus, who was staring right at him and then at Sirius, who was watching with a slight smirk. 

"What'd you find in there, Prongslett?" Harry's eyes widened and he stared at Remus, who was now suspiciously reaching towards the basket.

"Nothing." Harry winced at the high pitch of his voice and pulled the basket away from the oncoming werewolf. He cleared his throat. "I didn't find anything good. You suck at packing for picnics Pads, I'm doing it next time." 

Remus closed his eyes and sniffed the air. When he opened his eyes he locked his gaze on the basket with a hungry expression.

"Harry, give me the basket." Harry slowly stood while he shook his head. 

"No its mine. Back off Moony." Remus slowly stood as well, gaze still on the basket, and made towards Harry. 

"Give it to me." Harry still shook his head and started to back away from Remus, a basket held tightly behind his back.

"You ate all of it last time. You didn't save me any of it. Not happening, sorry." Sirius watched, amused, and decided to intervene.

"What's in the basket, Prongslett?" Harry glanced at him before looking back at Remus.

"You know exactly what is in here."

"No, I really don't. Please, enlighten me." Harry clenched his jaw before he spoke.

"Your version of treacle tart. Amazingly and sickly sweet with chocolate instead of the traditional lemon." With that, Remus pounced, figuratively, and Harry sprinted away. Those two would die for a slice of Sirius' treacle tart. It was amazing and one of the only things that Sirius could cook without any recipe or without burning.   
Sirius laughed as the two raced around the front yard of the Hollow. They would visit the graves latter for sure, but for now, they were going to have a picnic


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this already has so many reads and its freaking me out a bit, thank you for the support. Enjoy the chapter. <3

Harry sat in his bed, thinking while staring off into the pale green walls of his room. The bed that his mother had conjured was still there but the sheets were now black with silver trimmings. A small dark oak desk and a nightstand were the only other furnishings in his room. The bed was positioned along the wall with the large window and the nightstand on the open side of it while the desk sat across from both. Small glass globes bobbed in the air, carrying small balls of light that dimmed and brightened at Harry's will.

The closet was filled with clothes, shoes, and robes. The room was not messy, Harry wouldn't accept it to be messy, and everything had a place. All books in the undetectable expanded shelf in his desk that he could slide and move to place thousands of books in, unless of course, he was reading it, then it was allowed to sit in his nightstand. Parchment and quills inside of the drawer of his desk. Flames' perch sat on top of his desk, as did his watercolors, brushes, sketch pencils, sketchbook, and paper. Any mementos or special items were placed neatly in his nightstand.

Harry didn't really care if the room didn't match the rest of the house, neither did Sirius or Remus for that matter. They just wanted Harry happy. And he was, for the most part. He missed his parents and his soulmate, but there wasn't much Harry could do about that. He had taken to wearing a black leather band over his mark to ease the pain when he was awake. But nothing could stop what happened when he was asleep. He was alone in his dreams. Alone in an endless black world. No noise, unless you counted the sobs or screams that Harry would make on occasion when he was in his dreams. Harry was alone and he didn't know how to fix it.

Harry sighed and quickly glanced at the closed door before he slipped off of his bed and sat at his desk, pulling out his pencils and sketchbook as he did. He stared out of the window for a moment before he poised the pencil over the paper and drew. Strokes crossed over the paper with a soft scratch here and there. Harry lost himself in his work and distantly realized what he was drawing. He didn't stop, not until the picture was finished an hour later. He took a shaky breath and carefully pulled out his portfolio, staring at the pictures similar to the one he had drawn. All of his soulmate. His smile. His eyes. His lips. His hands. His hair. Everything.

Harry clenched his eyes tight and gently placed the picture with the others before storing his portfolio away. He cast a wandless Tempus and smiled as the bright green numbers appeared, 11:58. He laid back down and pulled the thick comforter up to his neck as he looked out the window and watched the stars twinkle beside the glowing moon. He stared for a while in silence. 

He planned out his day for tomorrow and he couldn't wait. Minnie has told them that their Hogwarts letter would be given out tomorrow. They would go straight to Diagon Alley and buy his supplies before they came back. They would set up for the duo party and it would be fun. Then, once everyone had left, Harry, Remus, and Sirius would do something together before he would lock himself in his room under the pretense of going through his school books. Really, he was going to wallow in self-pity.

He sighed and cast another Tempus. He smiled softly and looked back at the moon. "Happy Birthday to me," Harry closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next day went almost exactly as Harry had predicted. Harry was woken by loud barking and laughter as his door banged open. He smiled as he pretended to be asleep and listened to Remus try and playfully quiet down Padfoot. Harry felt them approach the bed and his smile turned into a smirk as he felt the bed dip. His eyes shot open and he flung his hand out, sending pulses of magic towards the pair. They yelped in unison before they started to laugh uncontrollably. Harry started to giggle as he made his magic tickle the pair without remorse.

"Stop!" Remus cried, tears streaming down his face from laughter. Harry only smiled and intensified the tickles. Sirius couldn't breathe anymore and simply shaking on the floor. Harry held it for a few more moments before releasing it. He watched, amused, as Sirius and Remus gasped to catch their breath. Remus looked up at him with wide eyes. "How did you know we were in here?" Harry frowned lightly and threw off the covers.

"You guys aren't exactly quiet," Remus only rolled his eyes affectionately and helped Sirius to stand up.

"Yeah, yeah, Harry. Whatever you say." Harry smiled mischievously and stood up. He stretched his sleep aches joints, relishing in the quit cracks they produced and wandered over to his closet. He stood in front of the closet and looked at the ridiculous amount of clothes. He groaned and threw himself back onto the bed. He heard Sirius chuckle and walk over to him.

"Do you want me to put something together for you, cub?" Harry nodded into the bed and heard Sirius walk towards the closet. He heard muttering and a rustle of clothes. He sat up, eyes closed, and heard Sirius approach him. He felt the clothes land in his lap and he curiously felt the different fabrics, attempting to guess what the outfit was.

"Okay, let's see. We got some leather, oh, and some metal. Okay um, it's quite large. One, nope, two. Is this my leather jacket?"

"Yep, keep going." Harry heard the smile in his voice and put his favorite leather jack to the side before taking the next piece and rubbing the fabric through his hands.

"Okay, it's rough. I feel some strings. Wait, these are ripped. Oh, these are my ripped jeans aren't they?" He heard a sigh and smiled before moving onto the next piece. "Okay, smooth, but not too smooth. Soft, kinda stretchy. So this is my shirt. Probably, based on the other pieces, is white and simple. And because of all of that, I am assuming that this is paired with my black army boots. Am I right?" Harry opened his eyes and glanced down at all of the items and the shoes in Sirius's hands. He smirked and jumped off the bed.

"How the bloody hell did you do that?" Harry shrugged and walked towards the closet to pull out a pair of new boxers and a pair of socks for the day.

"Can you leave now so I can change? Please?" Remus laughed at Sirius's pout and dragged the grey-eyed man out of the room, flashing Harry a sly wink as he closed the door. Harry smiled at the closed door and quickly got dressed. He left his room and made his way into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and smirked lightly. Sirius did a good job. He managed to pull off still being cute but looking older at the same time.

He ran a hand through his long hair, musing it to make it wilder than it already was. He walked out of the bathroom and hopped down the stairs, heading towards the kitchen where he knew his two fathers were waiting for him.

"What's on the menu for today?" He asked as he plopped into one of the barstools lined up around the marble island. Remus looked at him from his place in front of the stove and smiled.

"I'm making crepes and I heard that Pads was gonna start his modified treacle tart and it will be ready by tonight." Harry's mouth watered and he hummed happily as he daydreamed of treacle tart with the scent of baking batter and fresh fruit wafted through his senses. He smiled and glanced at the doorway as he heard Sirius come in.

"Hey Padfoot," Harry greeted, smiling at the man. Sirius smiled back and walked over to ruffle his hair and drape an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, cub. You waiting on Moons to finish your birthday crepes?" Harry nodded eagerly and practically bounced in his seats.

"Yeah," Harry eyed the man with a smile and saw Sirius smirk slightly.

"Anything else you waiting for?" Harry tried to bite down his grin but he couldn't stop it.

"A little wolf told me-"

"Little!" Remus cried indignantly turning towards the pair.

"Oh hush Moony. Anyway, I heard that some treacle tart was being made, your special one. The one you always make on my birthday." Sirius mock-frowned and dubbed his chin.

"Well I certainly know what you're talking about, but I don't know if I should do it now that you already know. It was supposed to be a surprise." Both Harry and Remus let out sounds of distress.

"No no no no, okay let's talk about this." Harry held his arms out and placed them on Sirius's shoulders. "Uh- we um, we can come to a compromise. Yeah, a compromise. Right, Moony?" Harry saw Remus nod furiously and they both looked at Sirius with large pleading eyes.

"I don't know. This-"

"Moony will stop kissing you if you don't make it." Sirius stared wide-eyed at Harry, Remus did too though he caught on to Harry's place and placed in a mask of defiance on his face. Sirius turned to look at Remus with fearful eyes but Remus only turned away to flip the crepe. Sirius's eyes widened even further and he hurried to look back at Harry. He placed his hands on Harry's shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"I will make the treacle tart. I will do it whenever you want but don't take my Moony." Harry smiled and patted Sirius in the head.

"That's a good boy," Sirius's jaw dropped and Remus let out a snort. Before Sirius could even think of a retort, a flapping of wings was heard and Harry looked at the open window excitedly. "Mail!" A white owl, Hedwig, flew in and perched herself on the edge of the counter, holding out her leg for the letter to be taken off. Harry hurried to grab an owl treat and fed it to the owl while he carefully untied the letter. He saw the wax seal and grinned. "Hogwarts letter." Remus and Sirius came to stand beside him and watched as he turned it over. To Mr. Harry James Potter Lupin-Black, Harry didn't even bother to read any further and he turned the envelope over and took off the wax seal. He took a shaky breath and took out the two pieces of parchment before he started to read.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY  
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)  
Dear Mr.Potter Lupin-Black,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. The term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 15 August.  
Yours sincerely,. Minerva McGonagall. Deputy Headmistress  
Harry smiled brightly and set aside the first page in favor of looking over the supplies list.  
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY  
UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
1\. Three sets of plain work robes(black)  
2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.  
COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk  
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble  
OTHER EQUIPMENT  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal vials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales  
Students may also bring if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.  
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK  
Yours sincerely,  
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus  
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

Harry smiled even brighter and looked at Sirius and Remus, who were both looking down at him.

"Ready to go get your stuff?" Harry frowned and shook his head.

"No. We have to send the confirmation letter first then we have to eat breakfast and you both need to get dressed." Sirius held up his hands in surrender and backed up making a face.

"Well excuse me," Sirius glanced at Remus and gave him a not-so-subtle wink. "We must follow our prince's orders. Come Moony, we must continue with breakfast, and while his Highness composes his letters." Harry rolled his eyes with a smile but quickly placed on an air of poshness.

"That's correct. Now bow down peasants." Remus and Sirius laughed good-naturedly and continued, or in Sirius' case started, to cook. Harry quickly ran back to his room and wrote back to Minnie.

Dear Minnie,  
We got the letter and I, obviously, will be attending.  
See you soon,  
Harry

He smiled and sealed the letter up before he ran back into the kitchen and tied the letter to Hedwig.

"Take this to Minnie for me, okay beautiful." Hedwig trilled happily and jumped onto Harry's shoulder, nipping his ear affectionately before flying out of the still open window. 

Harry smiled after her and sat back down in the barstool, watching as Remus plates his strawberry crepes, sausage, and one fried egg. Sirius poured three glasses of orange juice and set them down on the placemats in front of each of the three barstools. Harry smiled at him in thanks and grabbed his fork and knife, poised to attack the food once it was set in front of him. Remus smiled and set it down before snatching his hand away as to not be mutilated by Harry's utensils. 

Harry dug in and hummed as the crepe melted in his mouth. He quickly finished his portion and downed his juice. He placed his dishes in the sink and walked towards the bathroom to brush his teeth. Walking back out, he saw Remus and Sirius leaning against the counter, properly dressed.

"Ready to go?" Harry nodded and walked towards Remus' outstretched arm. With a crack, the trio disappeared.

Appearing on the busy streets of Diagon Alley, Harry and Co quickly moved off of the main area and into a small alcove.

"What's the plan, Harryman?" Harry blinked at Sirius before he turned to Remus with a dumbfounded expression.

"And you married him, why?" Remus just shrugged. Harry shook his head and focused. "I do not want to be here long so, Remus, can you get the books that I don't have already at home. Sirius will drop me off at Madam Malkins and while I'm in there, and go get the other supplies. Then we will meet for ice cream before we go to Ollivanders and get my wand. Sound good?" Remus nodded and walked through the crowds to start his mission. Sirius grabbed Harry's hand and made their way through the crowd before they stopped at the robe shop.

"See if they have any trunks while you're in here okay?" Harry nodded.

"If I don't I'll make a quick stop. Buy me a cinnamon crunch if you're both already there." Sirius nodded and continued on. Harry took a deep breath and pushed open the door. He sighed in relief as he saw the store mostly empty. He steeped himself and quickly made his way over to the counter where a young woman with pixie-cut brown hair was leaning against. He cleared his throat as he reached the counter and smiled at the woman kindly. She smiled back and stood up.

"Hello dear, here for your Hogwarts robes." Harry nodded. "Well let me lead you to the back, we only have one other customer here right now. He's going to Hogwarts as well." Harry's smile became a bit pained. He did not want to do this. No new people.

"That's fine." The girl nodded at him and pointed him onto a pedestal beside a pale blond boy. The boy glanced at him and gave a nod as an older woman took measurements. Harry nodded back and looked around the room. Different fabrics were displayed on the walls and there were a few racks holding various items of clothing. He saw no trunks and sighed as he realized he would have to go somewhere else.

"Potter.”

Harry didn’t even have t look up to know who was speaking to him. 

“Malfoy.” Harry gave Draco a smile and saw the blond roll his eyes. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t like crowds.”

“I don’t, but they are necessary sometimes. Better question is what are you doing here? Thought you were too good for places like this.”

Draco just shrugged.

"Alright dear, you're all done," Harry's head turned toward the lady who was speaking. She was older and Harry assumed that she was the one and only, Madam Malkin. 

Draco nodded and stepped off the stool, immediately going to fix his robes.

"I'll see you at school Potter," Harry smirked and nodded at him. Madam Malkin turned toward him and looked at him expectantly.

"Hogwarts School robes please," Harry said with a smile. She smiled back.

"Lift your arms up, dear. I need to take your measurements." Harry did as he was told and waited as she worked.

Fifteen minutes later and Harry was walking out of Madam Malkins with a bag full of clothes. He quickly locked eyes on the trunk shop. He made his way over, carefully avoiding the bustling crowd.

The shop was small, modest, and simple. The wooden floors were a dark oak and the walls painted a navy blue. There was a black counter at the front with multiple books sitting atop it. Harry walked forward and looked at the covers of the books. Designs, Enchantments, Colors, and Fabrics. Harry was about to open one of the books when he heard a noise coming from the back.

"Hello?" Harry called out. There was a bit more crashing before a young man came out. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He looked at Harry in confusion.

"Are you lost, kid?" Harry frowned.

"No, I am here for a trunk." The man looked skeptical before he nodded.

"What are you looking for?" Harry thought for a moment before he combed through the books on the counter.

"Something simple. I want it to be able to lock with a spoken password, expanded compartments. Definitely black with silver accents. Dragonhide. And I'll take it as in 'Modern Treasure'. Is that okay?" Harry looked up from the book and saw the man had a dumbfounded expression on his face. Harry raised an eyebrow and waited. The man cleared his throat and rushed to write down the order on a piece of paper.

"Yeah. I can do that. It will take about a half-hour." Harry pursed his lips and sighed.

"That's fine, but I might not be the one to pick it up. My order is very specific there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"No, but if I could get your name?"

"Harry Potter." With that, Harry walked out of the store and headed to Florean's ice cream parlor.

Remus and Sirius were already there, looking around the busy street for Harry. When the unruly head of black hair cane into the sights of Remus, the werewolf grabbed Sirius' attention and pointed. Sirius sighed in relief and waved his arms high, calling out the raven's name. The head snapped to them and smiled. Harry quickly maneuvered his way through and ducked into Remus' arms once he was in range.

"You have no idea how crazy that was." Sirius looked at him, amused, and walked towards the ice cream shop. Remus smiled down at Harry and, with an arm securely wrapped around the raven, followed Sirius.

The parlor was quite large on the inside and was tastefully decorated. On one end of the shop, a counter stool, behind it were large boards reading various flavors and combinations. The rest of the shop was dedicated to seating. Booths lined the walls and tables were placed in the middle. Harry and Remus walked towards the over-excited Sirius and looked at the menu.

"Can you get me the cinnamon and vanilla bean crunch?" Harry asked Remus. Remus glanced at him and nodded.

"Of course." Harry smiled.

"Thank you. I'm going to go get a table." Remus nodded and Harry disappeared into the sea of chairs. The parlor was pretty crowded but Harry spotted a family leaving their booth in the back, and he quickly made his way over. He cast a discreet, wandless scorify and sat down. Harry waited for a while and observed the surrounding families. There were little kids with ice cream smeared all over their faces. Adults looking at their kids, completely fed up and ready to go home. There were a few couples, sharing their ice cream, and groups of friends, throwing toppings at each other. Harry sat back and rubbed his thumb over his wristband distractedly. He stared at the table, mind blank. He only looked up when heard Sirius' raucous voice.

He smiled as the man placed his small cup of ice cream on the table and slid next to him on the U-shaped booth. Remus slid in on the other side and Harry was squished in between the two.

"You're crushing me!" Harry groaned out. Sirius locks eyes with Remus and the two share a smirk before Harry is literally being crushed between the two. Harry groans in discomfort and directs a small bit of magic to each of their sides. They both yelp as his magic sharply pinches the skin and leap away from Harry, rubbing their abused sides.

"That was mean Harry," Sirius pouts.

"Well, you shouldn't have crushed me," Harry replies with faux air of arrogance. Sirius snorted and Harry saw Remus bits back a smile. 

They finished their ice cream and stood up to exit the parlor and make their way to Ollivanders for a wand.

The store stool tall, mostly due to magic, and was made of wooden boards and chipped paint. Through the dusty windows, you could barely see the small display of the wands. 

Harry confidently pushed the door opened and only held it out long enough for Remus to grab it before he walked completely inside. The store was barely cleaner than the outside and tall shelves of thousands of boxes were the only thing to be seen. Harry looked at Sirius, but he was too busy looking around. Harry turned to Remus and went to speak before he saw the same expression on his face. Harry sighed, as a hand through his hair and walked forwards until he reached the counter separating the shelves from the small main area.

"Hello?" Harry's head snapped towards the last row as he heard a loud clattering. A ladder soon rolled into view carrying an old man with crazy white hair and frilly robes. The man stepped off the ladder and walked towards the counter with a smile plastered on his face.

"Hello Mr.Potter," the man said kindly. "Here for your wand?"

"Yes I am, and you are Mr.Ollivander, am I right?" The old man chuckled and nodded before he reached under the counter. He came back up with a small tape measure and he flicked out his wrist and the tape measure went flying. It unraveled in midair and forcefully moved Harry's arms to be raised at his sides. Harry made a small sound of surprise before relaxing and allowing the enchanted object to do its work, whatever that was supposed to be.

Mr.Ollivander slipped into the shelves after a while and Harry waited patiently. Harry watched curiously as the tape slowed in its seemingly pointless work, and settling down on the countertop. Mr.Ollivander came out just as it set down, carrying at least twenty boxes in his arms. Harry's eyes widened a bit and he looked at the boxes with curiosity. He could feel the steady pulse of magic coming from the boxes and he assumed that wands were stored. He let loose a small tendril of his magic and probed the boxes. He frowned.

"Excuse me?" Mr.Ollivander looked up from the counter where he was nearly arranging the boxes. "These wands aren't going to work for me." The man froze and looked at Harry with confused pale, blue eyes.

"What makes you say that?" Harry looked at the wands and waved a hand over them.

"They don't like my magic. They're rejecting me."Mr.Ollivander looked at him with awe and shock.

"Well if you can tell which wand would fit you then, by all means," Mr.Ollivander waved his wand and an opening appeared in the counter. "Come find your wand." 

Harry looked at him blankly before he looked at Sirius and Remus. Sirius was looking at him in shock and Remus smiled at him encouragingly and waved a hand. Harry nodded and walked into the back. He focused on stretching his magic out as he walked down the aisles. Some of the wands didn't react while others practically attacked him with their own magic. Harry walked slowly and made sure to touch every wand with his magic.

He stopped at the end of one aisle and looked down at where he had his magic directed. There was a thrum, a buzz. It filled Harry with euphoria and he lazily smiled as he crouched down. At the very bottom of the shelf was a black box, with minimal dust, that had silver calligraphy on the side.

"Solid core, Phoenix feather. Liquid core, shadow dragon blood. Holly wood, thirteen and three quarters." Harry grabbed the box and slowly walked back towards the front. He held the box firmly, but gently in his hands as he approached the counter. 

"All done Mr.Potter?" Harry looked at the wandmaker and nodded.

"How much?" Harry tensed as the man reached towards the box. Mr.Ollivander froze and looked closely at Harry's face. He withdrew his hand and stepped back, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"Seven galleons." Harry nodded and saw Remus place some coins on the counter before the trio thanked the old wandmaker and left the shop. Sirius threw an arm around Harry's shoulder and smiled.

"Ready to go home?"

"No. We have to go pick up my trunk. I can't walk around with all of my belongings shrunk in my pocket." Harry patted the jacket pocket where he had stored his clothes in for emphasis. Sirius made a face and nodded.

"Alright, come on." They quickly walked to the shop and grabbed Harry's trunk from the shopkeeper who was suddenly so polite before apparating back to the Hollow.  
Harry ran up to his bedroom once inside, with his supplies in hand, and set them all on his bed. He tied off his shoes and padded back to the kitchen. Sirius was in there, alone and crouched down looking through the small glass window on the oven.

"Is it almost done?" Sirius jumped slightly and looked back at Harry.

"Not quite. After the bottom is halfway we add the filling and the top, then slap it in the oven for a while." Harry groaned and dramatically threw himself into the barstool. Sirius smiled at him and came over to muse Harry's hair. Harry batted him off and Sirius lightly chuckled before heading back to the stove. "Why don't you go to decorate? It'll distract you and I know how much you love to do it anyway."

Harry smiled at the idea and trotted out of the kitchen into the living room. He glanced around, taking in the positions of the nude-colored furniture, and planned out the decorations in his head. He smiled at the mental picture he had created and sat down on the plush carpet, closing his eyes as he did so. He slowly let out tendrils of his magic and felt it take form and color the more he worked. It took no more than fifteen minutes and when he heard Remus walk in and gasp, he opened his eyes.  
Small silver balls bobbed in the air and white orbs of light glowed softly in the corners of the room. Short black streamers hung from the ceiling and swayed softly in the draft. It was simple and really not that much, but it was nice and took quite a bit of wandless magic.

"How long did this one take you?" HaRRy turned to Remus and smiled.

"Only fifteen minutes, I think." Remus nodded and looked around again.

"You're getting better." Harry tilted his head slightly as he stood up.

"At what?"

"All of this," Remus waved his hands, gesturing to the room. "It's really good. The design is really good. Classy and simple, but nice. And the magic that you used to put it together is more complex than I can probably imagine. You're really good at wandless magic, and I can't wait to see what you can accomplish with a wand." Harry smiled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, for one I'm me," Remus rolled his eyes as he heard this. "And two, I've had some help. I didn't do all of this by myself. You and Pads have helped me, a lot," Harry didn't mention the small tips that the figure gives him on occasion when he needs it, he still hadn't gotten around to fully explaining the figure that periodically showed up through his life, he didn't even fully understand who the figure was himself. "You gave me my first textbook when I was, what? Three? Four?"

"Two and a half." Remus clarified simply. Harry laughed and looked down at his feet for a moment before he stepped forward and gave Remus a hug.

"Thank you Moony." Remus smiled and hugged his pup tight to himself.

"You're welcome, pup." They stayed in their embrace for a moment longer and only separated due to a loud voice coming from the doorway in which Remus stood only moments before.

"Why am I always left out of these hugs?" Harry snapped his head towards the doorway and laughed as he saw the small pout on Sirius' face. Remus, to, laughed and walked over to lightly peck Sirius' lips, instantly making the pout turn into a smile.

"Poor Pads, feeling all left out. Don't worry, Moony’s here." Remus told the other male in a condescending voice. Harry laughed and looked around the room.

"Okay, lovebirds, should I light the fireplace or not?" Sirius huffed and walked back into the kitchen dramatically. Remus rolled his eyes fondly.

"Yeah, light the fireplace. I need to go cheer up the baby." Remus walked towards the kitchen and Harry laughed as he heard an indignant shout from the kitchen. Harry looked around again and put his hand out in front of him, palm up. He blew out a short series of high pitched whistles and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Harry sighed, disappointed, and went to set the flames himself when a loud cry echoed back the tune. Harry grinned widely and laughed a little as he felt small, sharp claws dig lightly into his palm. Flame blew a gust of blue fire in his face and trilled. Harry brought his precious dragon closer to his face and ran a gentle hand along his scaly spine. Flame-grilled again and glittered his wings.

"Hey boy," Harry said fondly. "How've you been?" Flame trilled lowly and bowed his head and Harry made a pout form on his face before speaking again. "Aw, has the poor dragon been lonely?" Flame whined and bobbed his head, purple eyes boring into Harry's emerald ones. Harry chuckled and gave Flame a small kiss on the snout. Flame sneezed and a small puff of smoke came pooling from his nostrils making Harry laugh once more. "Can you light the fireplace for me please?" Flame stared at Harry for a moment and tilted his head to the side. Harry smiled at his dragon, "Please?" Flame huffed and turned his head to blow a thin jet of his blue flames towards the fireplace. It was caught and the whole room was cast with a new blue hue. Harry kissed Flame’s snout again and allowed the small dragon to make a comfortable nest atop of his head.

Harry walked out of the living room and into the kitchen to see Remus eating a piece of the treacle tart. He gasped dramatically and watched with hidden humor as Remus dropped his fork and looked at Harry.

"It's not what it looks like. I swear." Harry clutches his chest and looks away from Remus.

"I never thought I could feel such betrayal from you Moony. I really don't know if I can ever forgive you." Harry sniffles and turns to walk out of the kitchen.

"Wait!" Harry pauses and smirks lightly as he hears a rushed set of footsteps paired with a ding of metal. "Here, you can have the rest of this piece. Pads are making another batch, he made too much of the filling." Harry masks his face and turns to inspect the plate. He holds out his hands and Remus places a new fork and the plate into them.

"Why thank you, my dear Moony." Harry takes a bite and smiles. "You are forgiven." Remus smiled at Harry. "And I will even allow you to help me complete this monstrous slice." Remus laughed a bit and walked over to one of the kitchen drawers to pick up another fork. Harry smiled and set the plate down on the bar before taking another piece. He hummed and smiled at Remus, who smiled back.

Twenty minutes or so later, the Floo flared to life and Harry jumped up from the bar and raced into the living room. Brushing off the ash from his shoulders and hair, was Neville.

"Nev!" Neville looked up and smiled as he saw Harry.

"Hey Harry," Neville walked over and gave Harry a quick hug before stepping back and taking a look at the room. He smiled and looked down, yes down, at Harry. "You did this?" Neville inquired with a pleased look on his face. Harry nodded and smiled at the much taller and barely older boy.

"I had a little help from Flame though," Neville glanced at the buldger sized dragon and quickly reached a hand up to run along Flames spine. Flame made a sound similar to a cat purring and arched his back into Neville’s hand. Neville withdrew his hand and took a step with an uneasy smile.

"Is anyone else here?" Neville asked curiously as he walked towards the small closet just outside the room to place his shoes and coat.

"Nope." Harry said, popping the 'p' and walking past the Neville into the kitchen. 

"Moony! Padfoot! Neville's here!" Footsteps pounded down the stairs at a fast rate and Sirius soon stumbled into view with Remus walking calmly behind him.

"Heya Neville," Sirius exclaimed brightly, throwing an arm around the younger's shoulder. "How've ya been?"

"Good, Padfoot," Neville replied with a smile. "How 'bout you?"

"Oh just dandy," Sirius smirked and waved a dismissive hand. "But we are not here to talk about me. It's your joint party." Remus walked over to Neville and pulled him into a one-armed hug paired with a warm smile.

"Stop it Sirius and make more of that tart." Harry and Neville stifled a laugh at Sirius' pout and grumblings. Remus just shook his head and let go of Neville to lean against the counter. "Excited?" Harry and Neville both nodded eagerly with a grin. Remus nodded and gave them a small smile.

The Floo flared to life again and the boys rushed towards the living room. Redheads were everywhere. There was eight in total and Harry smiled as chaos ensued for the rest of the night.

Around forty people total arrived and each greeted Harry and Neville with warm regards before setting their presents down and wandering into the kitchen area. The place was packed with friends and Harry wouldn't have it any other way.

The night wore on and loud chatter created a comfortable buzz through all of the rooms. Harry talked and laughed with all of his friends, playing a few pranks on the adults that caused quite a fuss. Especially when they made Sirius' hair turn pink.  
Candles were blown, presents unwrapped and thanks were given before everyone slowly started to trickle out of the house and back to their own homes.

Harry sighed as the Floo died out for the last time that night, and flopped down on the couch. He heard his honorary fathers walk in and set themselves down onto the armchairs beside the couch.

Harry turned over and smiled at them before sitting up when he noticed the small box in Remus' hand.

"What's that?" He asked with a curious look on his face. Remus glanced at Sirius before handing it over to the brunet silently. Harry took it easily and started to untie the silver ribbon that kept the box closed. He glanced at his parents once more before he lifted the lid off of the black box. Harry stared at the piece of glass confusedly. He pulled it out of the velvet cushion it sat in carefully and inspected it. His reflection shone back at him and he stared at it for a moment, not really understanding but assuming it was for something. "Thanks?"

Remus and Sirius chuckled together and Harry looked up to see Sirius pull out another piece of glass from his pocket. Sirius made a vague gesture to Harry's piece and Harry looked down and yelled slightly as he saw Sirius' grey eye in the reflection.

"What the heck is that?" Remus laughed and moved closer to Harry and lift up the mirror slightly.

"It's a two-way mirror." Harry frowned and looked at the mirror again, thoroughly confused.

"I'm still confused."

"It will allow us to talk to you while you're at Hogwarts, face to face, and without having to wear out Hedwig too much." Realization dawned on the youngling's face and he looked at the mirror with reverence. He smiled brightly and threw his arms around Remus in a tight hug. The man happily accepted it and held the boy tightly. Sirius came over to them and joined in on the hug. They stayed there for a while, soaking in each other's embrace before Harry stood, thanked them, and went up to his room for bed.

He quickly shed his clothes as soon as he closed his door and grabbed a pair of navy blue nightclothes to change into. He threw himself onto his bed and his emerald orbs slipped shut. He lay there for a while, thoughts blank and breathing even, before he felt a draft flow through the room. He opened his eyes as a small smile appeared on his face and sat up.

As he suspected, a shrouding dark figure stood in the corner of the room, cloak billowing eerily around it as it stood stock still.

"Hello," Harry said softly to the figure. A deep hum sounded through the room and the figure drew closer to Harry, a raspy whisper flowing from it as it did so.

"Hello, young one." Harry smiled as the hands of bone ruffled his hair softly. "How are you enjoying your birthday?"

"It was good. I'm sure you were watching." The figure chuckled lightly and patted the boy's head before he gingerly sat down beside him.

"I was, and before we go any further, I come bearing gifts." Harry perked up and looked at his shrouded companion excitedly. The figure reached into his dark robes and pulled out a black wood chest. Harry took it happily and opened it.  
He looked in the box and frowned lightly. A large black tome with fading silver words on the cover, a piece of parchment, and a silvery material sat in the box. Harry reaches inside for the silvery cloth and gasped as the softness. He drew it out of the chest and let it fall to its full length, the bottom hitting the floor and pooling on the hardwood floor. He looked at his companion curiously, eyes glittering in the low light of the room.

"This is an invisibility cloak." Harry's eyes widened and he looked at the fabric with a new light as his companion continued to explain. "It will hide you, your magical signature, and make any tracking spells go awry until you take it off again."

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely, a wide smile on his face as he looked at his new cloak. His companion only dipped their head in response and lazily flicked their hand towards the chest. Harry placed the cloak beside him on the bed and pulled out the piece of parchment. He completely unfolded it and stared uncomprehendingly at the blank expanse.

"Press the tip of your wand to the paper and say the phrase 'I solemnly swear that I am up to now good'. It is a map of Hogwarts created by your guardians, your father, and another man who was their friend at the time." Harry looked through the mess on his bed for the rectangular black and silver box, pulling the dark wand out of the box and doing as his companion instructed.

Slowly, red lines swirled along the page, words, symbols, and pictures forming as it did so until Harry could read the words with no issues.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, are proud to present the Marauders Map," Harry whispered the words softly under his breath and smiled at the familiar nicknames. He quickly unfolded it again and gasped lightly, emerald eyes widening ever so slightly. 'Hogwarts' was written across the middle for a few moments after he unfolded it before he registered that this was a literal map of the entire school.

"It shows not only where you are, but where everyone is, every second of every day." Harry looked at his companion, comically bug-eyed, and then back at the map. He spotted the name of the dreaded Headmaster, apparently pacing in his study and few unfamiliar names in random areas of the castle, presumably preparing for the upcoming school year. "Say the phrase 'mischief managed' to deactivate it."

Harry did so and smiled gratefully at the tenebrous face of his companion. He pulled the large book from the chest and tried to read the faded title.

"Necromancy, little one." His companion's deep voice came from almost directly over his shoulder and he jumped slightly before glaring at the other. "I thought it might interest you as the 'Master of Death'."

Harry smiled at the humor in his companion's voice and dragged his eyes away from the book to give the other a genuine smile.

"Thank you." A hand of bone delicately dragged through his hair and his companion stood from the bed, taking a moment to step back from Harry before speaking again.

"No thanks are needed. Enjoy your presents little one and use them wisely." Harry nodded and watched as the shadows clouted together and in an instant, Harry was alone again.

Harry smiled down at his presents and looked at his messy bed with a sigh. He flicked his wrist and all of his new belongings flew to their proper place, leaving his warm bed empty and ready to be slept in. Harry set his new wand back in its box and set the box on his nightstand before throwing the covers back and settling into bed.  
He stared at the dark ceiling for a while before he smiled one more time and closed his eyes, falling into the hands of Morpheus almost instantly.


	4. Chapter 4

When Harry awoke on the morning of September first, it was to the delicious smell of cooking bacon and buoyant laughter coming from downstairs. He smiled lazily and slowly opened his emerald eyes, squinting slightly at the bright morning sun shining through his window. He buried his face into his pillow and groaned quietly when he arched his back, consequently making quite a few quiet 'pops'. He sat up slowly and yawned widely, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as the action went on longer than it was probably supposed to.

Warm, bare feet connected with cool hardwood floors and Harry shivered slightly. He padded to his closet and pulled out the clothes that he had prepared before heading down to the washroom for a shower.

Fifteen minutes later he quickly dressed into his clothes before drying his hair with a wave of his hand. He looked in the mirror for a moment, criticizing his simple outfit. A simple dark grey knitted shirt with a black summer military jacket over it and he paired it with comfortably tight black skinny jeans and his favorite black dragonhide boots, that were still waiting to be put on. He smiled in approval after a few minutes, making a small comment in his head that wizards fashion was much better than muggles at the moment, and then turned to head downstairs.

His feet produced light thumps as he trotted down the staircase gently, pausing at the bottom to watch his parents interact in the kitchen. Sirius was sitting on top of the counter with a lazy smirk on his face as he spoke in low tones to Remus, who was moving around the kitchen in graceful dance and leaving tasty treats in his wake with a smile.

Harry stepped into the room and the wooden plank creaked quietly under his foot. 

Both heads of his parents snapped toward him and bright grins tore over their faces. 

Sirius jumped down from the counter as Remus finished what he was doing before quickly turning off the stove and coming over to the young brunet as well.

"Good morning pup," Sirius gave a ruffle of Harry's hair and revived a light glare and in return, the usual routine, and Remus, once he got closer, pushed Harry's hair back to kiss his forehead softly before pulling back with a warm, tender smile.

"Breakfast is ready Bambi," Harry's heart warmed at the rarely used nickname and he nodded before making his way to sit on one of the barstools. It was mostly silent as the trio ate, none really want to discuss what was inevitable. It was only when Sirius got up to put his plate in the sink that the silence was broken by Harry's soft whisper.

"Do I have to go?" Sirius dropped the plate with a loud clatter and both of his dad's heads snapped towards him, bewilderment and confusion covering their faces.

"What do you mean pup?" Harry wrung his hands anxiously and lowered his eyes to look at the table.

"I don't want to go. I can learn everything from you guys. I won't have to worry about whatever Dumbledore wants to do or constantly look over my shoulder." Remus and Sirius shared a look before they walked over to the young boy.

"Harry, you're going to be fine," Remus said reassuringly as he placed his hands on the brunets soldiers and locked gazes. "Nothing will happen to you."

"Yeah, and if anything does, you can show that bastard your rather large repertoire of spells, eh?" Sirius chipped in with a vindictive smirk.

"Sirius!" Harry snorted as Remus gave the Animagus a disapproving look that was ruined by the malicious glint in his eyes. The other male only gave him a smirk before turning back to their ward.

"Everything will be fine, if anything goes wrong, you have the mirror and Minnie will let us know if you can’t. Okay?" 

Harry nodded but didn't feel any of the cold dread leave the pit of his stomach. He pulled his guardians into a warm hug and smiled when they immediately encircled him with their arms. He took a deep breath and held onto them for a few moments longer before he pushed them away slightly. They looked at him worriedly and Harry gave them a small, nervous smile before heading back upstairs to finish getting ready.

Three minutes until eleven and the trio stood on Platform 9 3/4, watching as parents tearfully sent their kids onto the trains. 

Harry mentally scoffed at the dramatics and turned to his honorary parents with a smile. His smile dropped when he saw both of their glassy eyes. He sighed and quickly shrunk his trunk down to place in his pocket. He made sure Flame was securely bundled on top of his head before he opened his arms and waited for an onslaught of hugs.

They came, more forcefully than he originally thought, and to his horror, he found himself tearing up as he returned the embrace. They stayed like that for a few minutes and only separated when the whistle blew on the train. He pulled back and gave them both a reassuring smile.

"I'll mirror you tomorrow." They both nodded and Harry noticed that Sirius really looked like he might have a breakdown. "I'll see you at Yule." Harry has them one last smile before pulling Flame off of his head and into the safety of his arms and then dashing into the train.

He blew out a puff of air in relief as he jumped onto the train. He started to walk down the train, looking in the different compartments for his friends. He passed the twins and opened the door with a smile.

"Hey, have you seen Ron?" They looked at him, as did the others three in the compartment.

"No." Started Fred.

"But-" continued George.

"Do you want to see-"

"The pet we brought?" Harry looked suspiciously at the box in a darker-skinned kid's arms before shrugging his shoulders.

"Why the hell not?" He leaned against the door frame and waited for them to coax the animal out of the box. His eyes widened as he took in the eight fuzzy legs. "How did you get ahold of an acromantula?" Harry said incredulously, staring at the spider in wonder.

"Found him in the forest last as an egg," Fred replied easily.

"Raised him ourselves in our bedroom," George added.

"He's learned to love us,"

"We're mums now Harry!" They cried in unison. Harry stared at them a little wide-eyed but nodded.

"Well, take good care of him, I guess. I'm gonna go find Ron." Harry closed the door and shivered slightly as he walked away and further down the train. He poked his head into random compartments and asked if any had seen any of his friends. He duly noticed that he had entered Slytherin territory and that the stares were becoming warier and warier. He passed by a compartment and noticed white-blond hair that gleamed through the glass.

"Malfoy, what a surprise, you already making your claim." Harry teased with a smirk. Malfoy glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Please Potter, your just jealous." Harry barked out a laugh and looked at the other occupants.

"I sure am jealous," Harry replied with an over-exaggerated nod of his head. "I mean you already got Pansy, Blaise, and Theo. I can only imagine you who else you going to claim as your circle." The other three his their smiles behind their hands and looked away.

"Oh, shove off Harry," Draco stood and pushed Harry out of the compartment and slammed the door in his face. Harry laughed again and continued to move down the train.

He eventually reached the end of the train and surprisingly found an empty compartment. He shrugged and walked inside. Flame butted his head against Harry's chest and flapped his wings lightly.

"Yes, Flame, you can fly now." Flame screeched happily and flew out of Harry's arms and towards the ceiling. Harry pulled out his trunk and unshrunk it, setting it down on the floor to pull out a few books on various magics. 

The hours passed slowly, only broken by the witch from the trolley and exchange of goods. The announcement sounded on the overhead to change and Harry quickly obeyed. He put everything away and shrunk his trunk to put back into his pocket. Flame automatically came to curl up in his arms. The train stopped and Harry opened the compartment door and made his way to the nearest exit door.

"Firs' years! Firs' year over here? 'Arry!" Harry's head snapped towards the half-giant and he beamed as he made his way over.

"Hey Hagrid," Harry grunted as the man ruffled his hair and nearly caused him to topple over.

"Hey there, how's yer dragon? Doin' well, I hope." Harry nodded and held up the small dragon. Flame looked at Hagrid and screeched happily, prancing around in circles on Harry's open hands. He blew a small burst of flames at Hagrid's beard and the man laughed loudly in response. "A'right, to the boats. Firs' years to the docks! No more'n four to a boat! C'mon now!"

The large gaggle of first-year students, about forty, followed the large man down the cobblestone path to the docks. The caught sight of one of the turrets of the castle and some students tried to stand on their tiptoes to get a better look. Harry smiled at some of them and looked around to catch sight of Ron. He sighed after a while, honestly, you would think it would be easier to spot the ginger.

He stepped into one of the boats and smiled as a boy with dirty blond hair sat next to him.

"Harry Potter-Lupin-Black." He said as a greeting and stuck his free hand out. The boy glanced at Flame with a bit of surprise but said nothing as he introduced himself.

"Anthony Goldstein," He said as he shook Harry's outstretched hand. Harry smiled and gave a single nod before withdrawing his hand.

"So what house are you hoping for?" Harry said awkwardly after a few moments on the water.

"Oh, Ravenclaw, for sure," Anthony replied as if it was obvious. 

"Really? Why?" Harry said as he looked at Anthony curiously. 

"What do you mean why?" Anthony asked, head tilting slightly in confusion.

"Most people don't want to be put into the 'know-it-all' house."

"Yeah, well, I'm not most people," Anthony smirked. Harry laughed and shook his head. "What about you?"

"Ravenclaw or Slytherin, I'll let the Hat decide," Harry replied with a smile still on his face.

"Slytherin? Really? Most people don't want to go into the 'dark' house."

"Well, I'm not most people," Harry paused until Anthony rolled his eyes. "It only has that reputation because people who have 'gone bad' come from that house. It's not true, of course. Bad people come from every house."

"Even the mighty Gryffindor?" Anthony joked. Harry's expression darkened and his posture become stiff.

"Especially the mighty Gryffindor." Harry's tone was ice cold and he looked out towards the water. Anthony frowned and faced forward, pondering what could have caused such a reaction.

"Watch yer heads here! Castles just up ahead!" And indeed it was. The boats passed under a small bridge that was nearly overrun with vines that grew small, trumpet-shaped, coral colored flowers. Harry snapped out of his daze at the sight of the flowers and he turned his head sharply as they passed them.

"Flame, get those flowers," Harry whispered quietly as he trailed a finger down the spikes that raised from the dragon's spine. Flame growled lowly and flapped his wings a few times before taking off. Harry heard the cries of surprise at the sight of a dragon at Hogwarts. Harry held out his arm as the flap of the wings came back to him and smiled in thanks as Flame settles back on his arm. Harry took the small  
portion of the vine that Flame had collected and looked inside one of the flowers.

"What is that?" Harry glanced at Anthony and smiled.

"It's part of a crossvine. In the Wizarding World, when they grow, their flowers produce a pretty useful potions ingredient that is known as the trumpets pearl." Harry dug into the shell of the flower and pulled out a small iridescent pearl and handed it to Anthony, who was staring with wide eyes.

"Wicked," The blond breathed. Harry nodded and placed the specimen gently in his robe pocket.

"How do you know so much?" Harry turned at the small voice coming from behind them. A girl, with a curly brown mane that was pushed back with a thin plastic headband, looked at him with her brown eyes wide with wonder.  
"What do you mean?"

"First-year hasn't even started and you already know potions ingredients from a glimpse!" She cried earnestly as if trying to get him to see how smart he was.

"I've been studying at home with my parents for as long as I can remember," Harry replied with a smile, entirely amused at the girl.

"Really? Who are your parents?" The other girl spoke this time, her long, straight black hair lifting behind her slightly in the breeze.

"Sirius and Remus Lupin-Black," The other girl gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

"I'm so sorry Harry," Harry's Starr turned cold and he looked at her with distrust.

"How do you-"

"Minnie," she replied before Harry could finish. He nodded in understanding and his face brightened again.

"You're Amanda then?" She beamed and nodded. Harry smiled and turned to the other girl, who was watching the display with mild confusion. "I didn't catch your name."

"Hermione Granger." Harry nodded at her and gave his full name. It was silent for a moment before Hermione spoke again. "So...what colors are your soulmate marks?" Everyone's eyes widened and Harry's clasped a firm hand around his leather strap. Hermione looked startled and glanced at the other three with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Look, Granger," Harry stated firmly. "You're a muggle-born I'm assuming, and you probably don't know this but it is considered really rude to ask someone about their soulmate or their bond. If you had asked anyone else I'm sure they would have done something to you. I wouldn't go around asking people about that." Hermione's eyes became glassy and she placed a hand to her face in embarrassment and remorse.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't-" Harry cut her off.

"It's fine, but now that you know, don't do it again." Hermione nodded and the rest of the ride to the castle was silent on their boat.

They finally came up to the harbor and unloaded the boats. Hagrid continued to lead them through the grounds and up a flight of stone stairs that led to a large oak door. He looked over his shoulder and grinned at them before knocking on the door with his huge fist.

The door opened immediately and Harry and Amanda beamed as Minerva McGonagall, or Minnie as they knew her, stood in her usual forest-green robes and a high bun.

"Professor, this year's new ones," Hagrid said in a fruity voice. She nodded at him, her lips pursed, and looked over them all.

"Thank you, Hagrid," Hagrid gave her a salute and she opened the door wide enough for him to walk through. "If you will follow me." She threw the doors open and turned around, not waiting to see if anyone actually followed her as she led them into the entrance hall. Double oak doors were to there right and a large chatter was buzzing through. Harry; who was at the front of the crowd, along with Amanda, Anthony, and Hermione; stayed put when she gestured to them and waited with the rest of the group as she slipped through the doors. Harry turned and spotted bright red hair almost next to him.

"Ron!" The ginger turned and looked at Harry with a surprise that soon morphed into relief.

"Bloody hell mate, I thought you missed the train." Ron buried him in a hug and Harry laughed.

"I almost did, but I spent the forever looking for you once I got on. What compartment were you in?" Harry asked as Ron released him.

"Right in front, behind the conductor." Harry gave him a blank stare and shook his head.

"You were in the fr-"

"Aw, did the poor lovebirds get separated on the train? Pity." An all too familiar blond stood behind Ron with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh shove off Draco," Harry said with a smile. "Your just jealous." Harry mimicked Draco's pose and threw his nose into the air dramatically. Pansy, Blaise, and Theo laughed from behind Draco and the blond himself was struggling to keep the smile off his face.

"Yeah, yeah, Harry. I'm so jealous. Really, truly, I am." His smile broke through and his pearly whites gleamed in the firelight. Harry walked forward and pulled him into a hug.

"Good to see you again mate," Harry said softly.

"Stop being so sappy Potter, it's been two months." Hardy rolled his eyes and released the blond.

"Yeah, at a party. Those things are chaotic and I barely see anybody there so it doesn't count. Speaking of parties, where's Neville?" Harry began to look around. "Neville? Neville? Neville!" Harry then proceeded to ridiculously call out the brunet's name, throwing his head back and quite literally squeaking for almost a full minute before a hand rose in the air hesitantly.

"Here Harry," The voice sounded exasperated as Harry moved through the other students, the students that were very confused and had no idea why this boy seemed so crazy. Neville and Harry shared a tight embrace, the latter grinning like a lunatic.

"How's it been, Nev?" Neville just shook his head and pointed at the stairs. Minnie was back and watching Harry with a raised brow. He flushed and ran back to the front where Amanda was failing to hold in her giggles. He frowned at her then turned to give Minnie an exuberant smile. She purses her lips together again as the corner started to turn up and walked past him with a quick ruffle of his hair. He frowned as his hair fell into his eyes and rushed to fix it as Minnie started to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," She began. "The start-of-term banquet is about to begin, but first we must place you in your house. Wherever you are sorted, that is where you will stay for your seven years at Hogwarts. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each has its own noble traits and you will do your best to represent it. You will gain house paints and at the end of the year, whoever has the most house points will win the House Cup, a great honor. The Sorting Ceremony will begin once we walk through those doors. I will call your name, and you will come up and sit on the stool. Once Sorted, head to your designated table. Understood?" There was a murmur of 'yes ma'am's' and she nodded once.  
"Follow." She pushed open the double doors and whatever talk that had been going on ceased.

Everyone gasped as they walked into the great hall. The ceiling was a mimic of the starry night sky and barely fifty feet over everyone's heads were thousands of candles that lit up the hall. Four long tables were filled with students of red, blue, yellow, and green. Another table sat at the front of the hall, lined with professors who looked at them with the same curiosity as the students. Harry didn't once look at the teacher's table and instead looked at the students for familiar faces. He spotted a few and they smiled and waved and pointed him out their friends. He had nearly forgotten about Flame until the dragon poked his head out from Harry's robes and screeched in fear. Harry pulled him out, held him to his chest, and whispered nonsense into the dragon's ear that seemed to calm the reptile down.

Gasps sounded through the hall as they saw the small dragon with the first year. Harry didn't pay them any mind as he watched Minnie place a dingy, wrinkly, old hat on a wooden stool. It was silent for a moment. Some of the first years bristling in confusion and the others watching with amusement and anticipation. 

Then the most amazing thing happened. The hat moved! And it kept moving until it's wrinkled and folds formed a grumpy face. Harry struggled to keep in his laugh and watched as the hat began to sing.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me,  
You can keep you bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all  
There's nothing hidden in your head,  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be,  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring nerve and chivalry  
Set Gryffindor apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuff are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin,  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achieve their ends;  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap,  
You're in safe hands(though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The entire hall clapped and Minnie waited patiently until everyone had stopped before she started calling names.

"Abbot, Hannah!" A petite girl with dirty blonde hair timidly walked up the small set of stairs and sat on the stool. Minnie places the hat on her head and it was silent.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hall clapped, the table of the yellow the loudest. Hannah smiled and waited for the be removed before walking quickly to her house table.

"Bones, Susan."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" More claps and cheers.

"Boot, Terry."

"RAVENCLAW!" More claps.

"Brocklehurst, Amanda."

"RAVENCLAW!" Cheers and claps and some screams from Harry.

"Brown, Lavender."

"GRYFFINDOR!" Surprisingly there were a few catcalls added into the mix this time.

"Bulstrode, Millicent."

"SLYTHERIN!" Claps.

"Crabbe, Vincent."

"SLYTHERIN!" Claps.

"Corner, Micheal."

"RAVENCLAW!" Claps.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin."

"RAVENCLAW!" Claps and winces of pain.

"Finnigan, Seamus."

"GRYFFINDOR!" Roars and claps.

"Granger, Hermione."

"GRYFFINDOR!" A scream from Harry and some more claps and cheers.

"Goldstein, Anthony."

"RAVENCLAW!" Another scream and lots of claps.

"Goyle, Gregory."

"SLYTHERIN!" Claps.

"Longbottom, Neville."

"GRYFFINDOR!" Lots of noise, mostly Harry.

"MacDougal, Morag."

"SLYTHERIN!" Claps again.

"Malfoy, Draco."

"SLYTHERIN!" An eye roll from Harry and then some screams as well.

"Moon, Lily."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Claps.

"Nott, Theodore."

"SLYTHERIN!" Screams and claps.

"Parkinson, Pansy."

"SLYTHERIN!" Other people seemed to be catching on to the screaming thing.

"Patil, Padma."

"RAVENCLAW!" Cheers.

"Patil, Pavarti."

"GRYFFINDOR!" Cheers and roars.

"Perks, Sally-Anne."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Claps and cheers.

"Potter-Lupin-Black, Hadrian." Harry stiffened and slowly walked up the steps. Minnie smiled at him as he approached. He wet his lips nervously and looked to her. She only gestured to the stool. Harry sat on the stiff wood and tried to relax. She slipped that hat on his head and Harry's vision was cut off. Though Harry was expecting it, he nearly fell off the chair when the hat suddenly started to sort through his head.

"Interesting, very interesting....so much trauma...oh you seek revenge...but that is not your main goal, no....you seek him....let me know if I can help....but for now your house....seeks knowledge....lots of ambition....determination too....hmmm....so difficult....but your choice is....you have already picked your favorites.....no preference?hmmm.....better be-"

"RAVENCLAW!" Harry sighed in relief and waited for Minnie to remove the hat before smiling at her once again and going to sit next to Anthony and Amanda to continue to watch the Sorting.

"Thomas, Dean."

"GRYFFINDOR!" And we're back to clapping.

"Turpin, Lisa."

"RAVENCLAW!" Still more clapping.

"Weasley, Ron."

"GRYFFINDOR!" A lot of screeching and clapping and roars.

"Zabini, Blaise."

"SLYTHERIN!" Screams again and claps.

Harry's hands and throat hurt by the time the cheering had finally ended and he was by far the hungriest he had ever been. But everyone was laughing and smiling by the end of it so it was definitely worth it. He didn't look up as everyone else did when the Headmaster stood up with a warm smile.

"Welcome," he said with a honeyed voice. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. The banquet is about to begin, but first a few words. Here they are Blubber! Nitwit! Tumbleweed!" He clapped his hands twice and food suddenly appeared on the previously empty golden platters. People began piling food onto their plates with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Harry himself plated a few pieces of chicken, roasted potatoes, and some type of three cheese macaroni that looked way too good to pass up.

"He's bit mad isn't he?" Amanda whispered to him as she leaned over to grab a roll. 

Harry nodded.

"He's a bit more than mad, but yeah." Harry started to feed Flame the pieces of chicken as he spoke. "I think he's always been like that, though." Amanda's lip turned up slightly and she bit into the roll she had grabbed to hide it.

"Are you guys talking about Dumbledore?" Anthony theatrically whispered to them. Harry and Amanda both nodded. "Why do you think that?"

"If you want to know, I can't tell you here." Harry took a small bite of the macaroni and looked at Anthony with a raised brow. The blond nodded and went back to eating.

"Harry. Harry!" The brunet glanced up and saw a familiar girl.

"Penny," he beamed. The older girl smiled at him and waved.

"Nice to see you in the best house at Hogwarts." Her friends around her laughed but nodded. Harry snorted and shook his head.

"Your boyfriend would disagree," Harry said looking towards the Gryffindor table. Percy was looking at Penny and him curiously and smiled when she turned to face him. She waved and blushed lightly. She turned back to the table and picked up her goblet.

"Whatever Harry," She smiled.

The feast continued on and a little more than half an hour later, Dumbledore stood back up. The hall silenced, and Harry himself setting down his treacle tart.

"Students, just a few words and then off to bed. First years, and any older years who need reminding, should note that the forest is forbidden to everyone. There should be no magic between classes in the halls. Classes start next week, and schedules will be handed out tomorrow at breakfast. Quidditch tryouts are being held the second week of term so anyone interested should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, the right-hand side of the third-floor corridor is off to anyone who does not wish to die a painful death." Harry frowned and looked at Penny with confusion. She shrugged her shoulders with the same amount of confusion as he. "A quick round of the school song and then I shall send you off, so, everyone picks your favorite tune."

Harry didn't pay attention to the song much but laughed when the twins continued to sing to a funeral march after everyone else had finished. When they were dismissed, he quickly stood and ran up to Penny. She smiled at him and waved to the rest of the first year ravens.

"If you'll follow me," Penny started in a bright voice. "I will lead you our common room and show a few tips and tricks around the school along the way." Penny smiled at them and then walked them out of the great hall. She did indeed give them tips and tricks, along with pointing out certain paintings and statues with historical importance. It took forever to finally get up to their house, half-hour probably. The entrance was looked like a normal oak door.

"What's so special about this door?" Harry turned and looked at the blond boy-why were there so many blonds?!- behind him curiously.

"It's obviously not a normal door, it probably has a talking handle or something," Harry said.

"Quite right, young one." Harry's eyes widened. He whipped his head back to the door and saw the door did indeed have a talking handle. The original circular handle had morphed into a more extravagant one with a small feminine face detailed in the wood just above.

"Wicked." Everyone but Penny said in synch. She rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, she is very cool. Now to enter, just wait for her to give you a riddle. Answer the riddle correctly and you'll gain entry." Harry groaned.

"Riddles? I suck at riddles though." Penny just shrugged her shoulders unapologetically.

"Oh well, my lady if you would."

"Very well Penelope." The lady cleared her throat. "I have two hands, but no fingers, and a face but no features. What am I?"

"A clock." A boy with black hair answered immediately from the back of the group, Terry Boot. Harry made a sound of surprise and looked at the boy incredulously. The boy smirked at him and shrugged.

"Well done," The door swung inward and Harry's gaped. A circular room was decorated with two larges couches, a bunch of armchairs, tables and-surprisingly-beanbags, and parallel to the entrance was a statue standing in a circular alcove. On either side of the alcove was a set of black spiral staircases.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw tower. The right staircase leads to the girl's dormitories and the left to the boys. There aren't really any rules but make sure your space stays clean, help each other out, and obviously don't tell anyone where the entrance is. Our head of the house is Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, and he will be doing your introduction speech tomorrow after you all settle in. So, up to the bed and be sure to be at breakfast by seven-thirty or you'll miss your schedule." Penny then ran off up the right-hand staircase and left them all standing in the entrance.

"She really should've led us to the dorms but alright." Harry shrugged and walked up the left side, climbing until he spotted a door with a plaque that read 'The First Years'. He opened it up and walked to the only free bed, which was at the back of the room by the window. It was a square room and each four-poster bed had a nightstand next to it and the door to the bathroom was towards the back.

Harry quickly set Flame on the bed and took out his trunk. He changed out of his robes and into his nightclothes. The other boys started to trickle in and he smiled at Anthony as he started to get ready by the bed next to him. Harry picked Flame up momentarily and plopped himself in the bed. He placed Flame right next to him and pulled out his wand to set an alarm for six-thirty. He placed it under his pillow and started to draw the curtains.

"Goodnight everybody," Harry said in a singsongy voice.

"Goodnight," they all chorused back. Harry grinned and fastened the curtains. He laid down, holding Flame to his chest, and let himself drift off.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is the last of the chapters that I had done on wattpad, so the next update won’t be for a while, enjoy! <3

Harry smiled in the mirror at the blue and bronze patterned tie that he held in his hands. He quickly put it on and pulled on his robe before sitting on his bed. He pulled out the mirror his fathers had given him for his birthday and tapped it twice. It glowed softly for a few moments before Remus' face appeared with a smile. 

"Hey, pup," 

"Hey Moons," Harry smiled. "Is Pads still asleep?" 

"Yes," Remus snorted. "I'll wake him." 

"With a spell, I hope," Remus smirked at him. 

"Of course, what do you take me for?" Harry laughed and watched as Remus turned the mirror around. Sirius was sprawled on their bed with one half of his body dangling over the edge. Harry covered his mouth and grinned widely as he heard a whispered incantation. Sirius sputtered as the water drenched his hair and face. Harry quietly laughed at the display.

"What the hell, Rem?"

"Sorry Pads, but I was putting on a show."

"Hey Padfoot," Harry smiled and waved. 

“Prongslet!” Sirius stumbled over his own feet as a grin overtook his face and he rushed to the mirror. “How was the first day?” Harry rolled his eyes. 

“Today is the first day.” 

“You know what I mean.” Harry sighed and smiled. 

“It was fine, I got into Ravenclaw.” Harry lifted his tie and swung it around. 

“Oh no, now what? How are we supposed to bond on common room experiences?” Sirius complained. Remus hit him lightly as Harry laughed. 

“Well, for starters, all of these boys snore.” He looked at Remus. “I know that at least you can relate to that.” Remus laughed. 

“Oh for sure, Sirius and James were terrible.” 

“Hey!” 

“Anyway,” Harry said, derailing the conversation before Sirius could storm off. “Professor Flitwick is supposed to give us a first-year speech today and then we get our schedules at breakfast.”

“Well don’t be late for any classes, and make sure to ask for help if you need it.” Harry nodded at Remus. 

“I will, promise Moons.” 

“Make sure to cause lots of trouble.” Sirius paused to dodge Remus’ hand.”But don’t get caught.” 

Harry titled his head. “Me? Trouble? Getting caught? What do you take me for? Besides, I would time the spells to start after I’ve left and had a good alibi. Like the one that is about to go off.” Harry smirked. 

“You’ve already started?” Sirius cried in glee. “What did you do?” Harry smirked as he watched pink glitter start to fall over every surface of his parents' bedroom and themselves. 

“I got to go, but it looks like you have something on your face Pads. Huh, you too Moony. Well, I’ll see you later, bye!” Harry waved again and shut off the mirror, internally cackling with glee. He shoved the mirror back in his trunk and pulled out the map that Death had given him. He put it in his pocket and pulled out a few of his many books before heading down to the common room. 

Harry ignored the looks he got and sat in one of the armchairs by a window. He placed the book in his lap and started to read. 

Nearly an hour later, the common room door opened and Harry glanced up. Professor Flitwick had just walked in. He smiled when they made eye contact and placed his now finished book inside of his bag. 

“Mr.Potter Lupin Black, up so early?” Harry frowned and cast a quick Tempus with his wand. Six-fifty. It wasn’t that early, though he was up at five so maybe him saying that didn’t mean much. He looked back and caught the glimmer of surprise in his teachers' eyes. 

“I always am, sir,” Harry said with a smile. “And please call me Harry.” Professor Flitwick only smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgment. Harry pulled out a different book, this one on protective spells, and started to read. 

During the next fifteen minutes, students swarmed through the common room, first years following Harry’s lead and the upper years giving him a curious glance before either leaving or finding their friends to sit with. 

Professor Flitwick seemed to know when all of the students were out of the dorms as he smiled and waved his wand a few times to create a pedestal for himself to stand on. Everyone went silent and gave him their full attention. 

“Welcome to Ravenclaw.” He looked around at the first years with a proud look. “We Ravenclaws are known, but not limited to, our creativity, knowledge, wisdom, and cleverness. I know how most of the people in other houses view us, but we are not know-it-alls. Don’t let anyone treat you like you are. If they do, let me or a prefect know immediately. 

“Later in the year, I will be starting a dueling club for those who wish to join. First and second years need a parent or guardians permission tp participate. I also have a Charms club for those who take a special interest. All clubs and their meeting times will be posted on the bulletin board by the door by next week.

“I implore you all to take your studies seriously. I know a lot of you think you can just breeze by until exams or even O.W.L.s but that won’t work. Study, form study groups if you want. Include students from other houses. 

“There has been a slight issue with pets within the past few years. So if you do have a pet and you bring them into the tower, they are your responsibility. If they make a mess, you have to clean it up. You need to make sure their behavior is in check. Please take care of your animals. If you can’t, let me know and I will arrange for them to be returned to your home. 

“Lastly, I am here for the next seven years to help you thrive. If you need anything, have any questions, or simply wish to talk, come to my office. It is only two doors down to the left of the charms classroom.” He gave them all a warm look and clapped his hands twice with a bright smile. “Come now, to breakfast where you will revive your schedules.” 

Harry smiled a bit and stood. He paused, cursing under his breath. Speaking of pets. As everyone walked out of the common room, he whistled and ignored the attention that was now on him. He smiled when Flame flew into view and held out his hand for the dragon to land on. 

There was a small murmuring as Harry pulled Flame to his chest. Flame trilled uncertainly, not used to this many eyes on him, and blew a little smoke from his nose, effectively hiding most of his body. Harry laughed quietly and turned to follow the crowd. Only to realize the crowd had stopped and were staring at him. He blushed lightly as Flame blew some more smoke. 

“That is quite the specimen, Harry. Do you know its breed?” Flitwick asked from his place on his pedestal. 

“His. He’s a boy. And um- Ukrainian ironbelly. A pygmy one, obviously.” 

“Ah, wonderful. Now, come on. To breakfast.” The crowd started moving again and Harry gave his head of house a grateful smile. Flitwick nodded and motioned for Harry to go with the rest. 

Harry quickly made his way out. Penelope was waiting with her friends at the exit and she looked at Harry with a bright smile. 

“Heya Harry, how was your first night?” Penelope riffled his hair and Harry grinned back at her. 

“Fine, nothing exciting happened.” Penelope squinted her eyes at him critically for a moment before smiling and playfully shoving him. Harry laughed and straightened himself up with ease. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you properly excited,” Penelope added with a slight frown. “Are you holding out on me?” Harry laughed again. 

“No, not on purpose. I get excited about new clothes, and pretty things. Shiny stuff, too.” Penelope shook her head and her friends all stifled their laughter. 

“That we have in common,” Harry turned and winked at the girl-Cho?- after she spoke. Penelope groaned and looked back at her friend. 

“Please don’t encourage him.” Harry looked at her indignantly before dramatically storming away. He walked the last few corridors alone and stepped into the Great Hall. Several people gave him a smile and waved at him as he walked by. 

He finally took a seat next to Anthony and started to gather food on his plate. Breakfast passed quickly and Harry continued to ignore the head table. The only teacher he saw was Professor Flitwick when he handed out the schedules. 

“What do you have?” Anthony asked as he looked down at his own. 

“Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts on Monday, History of Magic and Transfiguration on Tuesday, Herbology, Charms, and Astronomy on Wednesday, transfiguration and defense on Thursday and potions of Friday.” Anthony nodded. 

“Yeah, same.” Harry raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head, choosing to ignore that statement. 

“It’s sad though,” Harry stated with a frown. Anthony tilted his head curiously. 

“What is?” 

“That we have to wait until third year to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy,” Harry sighed dramatically while placing his head on his hand. Anthony snorted and shoved him lightly. Harry smiled at the blond and placed his schedule in his bag. “I’m going to go check out of the library. See you later.” 

“Bye Harry.” 

~~~

Harry did indeed go to the library. And he accidentally spent the whole day in there, looking through the most random of texts and reading half of the chapters before moving on. He finally emerged from the library and strolled down to the Great Hall. He walked slowly and greeted every portrait and ghost with a smile. He was two more turns and a staircase away when an all too familiar voice called him. 

“Harry, my boy,” Dumbledore said cheerfully when Harry stopped. Harry quickly placed on a polite expression and turned around. 

“Good evening, Headmaster.” Dumbledore stopped next to Harry and placed a frail hand on his shoulder. 

“I’ve have been meaning to speak to you, where have you been hiding out?” Dumbledore’s tone came out as slightly disappointed and condescending. Harry bit his tongue and faked bashfulness as he looked down. 

“I seemed to have gotten lost in the library,” Harry said quietly. Flame butted his head against Harry and fluttered his wings a bit. Harry loosened his grip and Flame flew up, hovering a few feet above Harry. Dumbledore gave a light chuckle and started to lead Harry down the rest of the way to the Great Hall. 

“Yes, I remember doing that on quite a few occasions in my time.” Harry produced an amused smile for Dumbledore and looked forward. “So I assume then, that you are settling in well?”

“Yes sir,” Harry nodded. “The house has been very welcoming so far, as has Professor Flitwick with his speech this morning.” Dumbledore gave a hum. 

“Yes, Filius always did have a way with words. I must ask though, Harry, what exactly you are doing with that band around your wrist. I couldn’t help but notice it when I went to visit all those years ago and then again last night.” Harry’s hand immediately went to the leather bracelet on his wrist. 

“I’ve always had it on, sir. For as long as I can remember. I’m not sure I even remember the name that is under it.” Harry was lying through his teeth, of course, but Dumbledore didn’t need to know that. He felt Dumbledore’s stare but kept his gaze focused downward. 

“I’m sorry to hear that, but we will continue this conversation later, it seems we have arrived.” Harry glanced up and noticed the double doors. He nodded and gave a smile to the older wizard. 

“Have a goodnight, sir.” Dumbledore gave him a smile. 

“And you, as well.” Harry watched him go through the doors with a blank expression before making his way through himself and settling himself down next to Amanda and Anthony. 

“You alright?” Amanda asked when she saw Harry’s expression. 

“Yeah, just Dumbledore being Dumbledore,” he mumbled. Amanda nodded and didn’t question any further. 

Dinner passed normally and Harry ended up pulling out a book in the middle of it. He alternated between feeding Flame small pieces of meat and read a few paragraphs of text. He had been reading a particularly interesting section about the theory of elemental fire magic when a zap of electricity had gone through his mark, figuratively of course. 

He dropped his book and stared at his leather-bound wrist for a moment before grabbing his book and dashing out of the Hall, ignoring his housemates’ looks of worry. 

He picked up Flame and ran into the nearest empty classroom, throwing up a powerful locking charm. He sat on the floor and stared hard at his offending wrist, confusion, and anxiety bubbling just under his surface. Flame butted his head against Harry’s chin and trilled. He smiled at Flame and let his hand run over the dragon’s spine. He paused and took a deep breath, calming down significantly.

He dragged his hand towards the band and waved sent out a small pulse of magic. The band slipped off onto the floor and Harry stared at his mark for the first time in years. There was a dark tan line that made the now pastel-colored mark stand out against his arm. 

Harry took a shaky breath and cupped his wrist to his chest. His eyes started to burn and his breathing became labored. The tears fell quickly and raced down his cheeks. 

Flame whined and crawled up to wrap himself around Harry’s neck. Harry took comfort from his dragon and tried to focus on calming down.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before a familiar cold took over the room. 

‘Master, are you in need of assistance?’ Harry looked at his hooded companion with despair. 

“Please,” Harry rasped. “Is he alive? I thought- I sa- I don’t understand what’s happening.” Death glided forward and sunk down next to Harry. Skeletal hands gently traced over Harry’s cheeks. Harry closed his eyes and relaxed into the soothing gesture. 

‘He is alive. Partly. When he was younger, he created a way that would ensure his soul stays tied to this earth. A way to cheat death.’ Harry frowned and opened his eyes. 

“He’s been alive all this time? And he hasn’t come back.” Harry was ashamed to admit that he was getting a bit angry until Death spoke again. 

‘No, he has not been able to. His body was destroyed that night. He has been roaming as a spirit. That twinge and the color returning shows that he found a temporary body, and has enough power to show up as at least partially alive. Only once he gets his full body back will the color be completely returned.’ Harry sat up. 

“How do I get his full body back? Is there a way for me too?” 

‘There is, but it will be a bit difficult to do at school and without a way to leave. You cannot Apparate yet.’ Harry pouted. 

“There is no other way to travel?” Death didn’t respond immediately and Harry narrowed his eyes. “Death?” 

‘I had not intended to teach you this for another year or two, but we may start now if you would like.’ Harry’s eyes widened and he nodded. 

“What is it called?” 

‘It is commonly referred to as shadow traveling. It is basically harnessing the shadows and using its realm to move through the overworld. Easy in theory, but much more complex for those who don’t deal with my magic often, as you do.’ Harry was silent for a moment, pondering. 

“How soon can we start?” Death pulled out a small aged book and handed it over. 

“It would be best if you read this first, and a bit of that text I gifted you for your birthday.” Harry winced as the image of the large book came to his mind. 

“Alright, thank you Death,” Harry said with a warm smile directed at the entity. Death stroked Harry’s cheek once more with his bone fingers and stood. 

“I will regularly check your process and help with what you do not understand. Goodbye, young one.” Death glided off to the shadows and Harry whispered a farewell. He looked back at the book and slapped it against his hands a few times in confusion and frustration. Why was his life so damn complicated? 

Harry stood and removed the charms he had placed before quickly leaving the classroom and heading back to the tower. 

No-one stopped him and he threw himself onto his bed in the dormitory with a huff. Today was not going as he planned. 

~~~~~

Nearly four hours later and Harry was halfway through the text that Death has given him for his birthday. Flame had gotten bored awhile ago and fell asleep in Harrys lap. 

It was, so far, a really good read and gave him information on a lot of things that he didn’t even know existed within Death's area of magic. There was no mention of transportation just yet but there were different sections talking about healing, defensive, and offensive spells. The current section, where he was going to take a break, started talking about different rituals to enhance or degrade his or others' abilities or features. 

It sounded cool and he definitely did anted to look more into it, but for now-sleep. 

~~~~~

Harry walked swiftly down the corridors, robes flaring behind him dramatically. He wasn’t that far away from the great hall when he heard footsteps running up from behind him. 

“Harry! Wait up!” Harry stopped and waited for Neville to catch up to him. He gave a smile to his close friend and allowed Neville to walk with him. 

“Hey, Nev.” 

“Are you okay? I saw you run out dinner.” Harry hesitated and gave Neville a sidelong glance. 

“It was my mark. During dinner, it flared with magic and I freaked out.” Harry looked down at the covered wrist and rubbed it before continuing. “I went to an empty classroom and it went from practically no color to pastel versions.” He heard Neville's gasp and felt his friend stare at his wrist. He made a quick decision and pulled Neville through a nearby door. He placed a few locking spells on the door and turned around, looking at a very concerned Neville. 

“Harry, I don’t need proof.” Harry gave him a deadpan stare and started to undo his wristband. “No, Harry, I can’t even think about asking-.” 

“You’re not asking! I’m offering!” Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hand ready to pull of the band. “I want- no- I need someone to see it. To make sure I’m not going crazy. I need someone to tell everything is okay.” He opened his eyes and look pleadingly at his friend. “Please Neville.” 

Neville stared at him for a long moment and his eyes flicked down once before he nodded. 

Harry closed his eyes briefly and sighed in relief before sliding off the band and offering his wrist to Neville. Neville hesitated and looked at Harry once. He grabbed Harry’s wrist gently and looked at the colors with a frown. 

“You said the mark was grey?” 

“Close enough.” Neville's frown deepened and he was about to say something before he stopped. Harry peered at him critically. “What?” 

“It’s just, have you talked? To him?” Neville completely avoided eye contact and Harry frowned. 

“Him?”

“Your- um,” Neville cleared his throat and looked around nervously. “Your companion. Shadow friend, I guess would be a good term.” 

It took Harry a second to understand who Neville was talking about but when he did, he didn’t stop himself from outright laughing at how Neville addressed Death. 

“Yeah, we’ve spoken. He explained a little bit but it’s still a bit hard to understand. “My soulmate- Tom- um, he created a way to tie his soul to earth so he basically couldn’t die. His body was destroyed that night but his soul roamed free. He’s recently possessed something that gave him enough strength to reignite the mark.” 

“Damn,” Neville said shortly. Harry snorted and shook his head, taking his band and slowly placing it back on. 

“My ‘shadow friend’ my gave me a few texts to read to learn a bit of magic that will help bring him back.” Harry finished with the band and took down the charms he had placed on the door. He opened it and headed out, holding the door for Neville. 

“How long will it take to learn everything?” 

“I’m hoping I’ll be done by the end of this year and spend break to go get a few things off the grounds and finish everything when we come back.”

“Ambitious,” Neville said as they neared the doors of the Great Hall. 

“Slytherin was my second option,” Harry said as he pushed the doors open. Neville shook his head with a roll of his eyes. 

“Of course it was.” 

~~~

After that day, Harry spent the rest of the week reading the texts Death had given and practiced what he could. 

The whole transportation idea was simple in theory but slightly more difficult practically. It required hours upon hours of meditation to see if he could reach the shadow realm. And he couldn’t even do it during the day because his roommates didn’t seem to have a life and he didn’t want to risk them seeing any part of the shadow realm. 

So now he was subjected to practice at night. That meant little sleep. Which was great for his mental health. 

Only Neville seemed to understand why he was suddenly so snappy. Amanda, the smart girl she was, figured out part of what was going on but didn’t question any further. She even talked to some of Harry’s other friends, telling them that he was studying complex magic late at night to help with some personal issues. 

Harry was grateful after the fact and vowed to get her a really good Christmas present when the time came, but for now, he would focus on his classes. 

Charms was going to be a fun class, he could already tell. Flitwick started the class by showing them a few cool charms that they would be learning later in the year. Then he showed them the proper movements and pronunciations for Lumos and Nox. He started to give them a bit of history for the next charm they would be doing, the levitation charm, when the bell rang and he dismissed them with a smile. 

It was good but by far not the most interesting part of his day. 

He was lined up along the wall outside of the defense classroom with Anthony, Amanda, and Hermione when he felt another surge in his wrist. He subtly maneuvered himself so that he could grip his wrist tightly. He felt Amanda eyeing his wrist but he ignored it as the door to the classroom opened and a high pitched stuttering voice welcomed them in. 

He sat in one of the desks towards the back and continued to rub his now burning wrist and the Professor introduced himself. 

“I am- I am P-Professor Quirrell. Before we- we start, I am- am going-ing to the t-take role.” Harry frowned. The stutter sounded a bit fake to him, too forced but he didn’t say anything yet. 

Harry zoned out slightly as Quirrell went through the long list of names and only lifted his head when his own name was called. 

“Here, sir,” Harry said as he raised his hand slightly. The Professor lifted his head and Harry swore as their eyes connected, Quirrell’s eyes flashed red before returning to their normal brown. Harry frowned and looked away. 

After twenty minutes of the professor going on about his life before coming to teach, he offered to demonstrate a few safe spells of their choosing. 

Harry had to admit his classmates knew some pretty good spells but he wasn’t focusing on that. He was focusing on Quirrell's stutter or rather lack thereof. He leaned over to Amanda and whispered his observations to her. She frowned as she realized he was right. 

“We need to get him to say something longer than the average incantation,” she whispered. Harry nodded and calmly raised his hand in the air. Professor Quirrell hesitated but gestured to him with a strained smile. 

“What about the full body bind curse?” Harry asked. That stopped Quirrell for a moment before the man nodded. 

“Petrificus Totalus!” The man yelled as he threw the spell at one of the birds fluttering around in a cage. Harry put up a curious expression and looked towards the cage with faux interest. When Quirrell turned away, he leaned down to Amanda. 

“Ask to go to the loo and get Flitwick.” Amanda nodded and waited a few minutes before doing so. Harry rapped his blunt nails against the hardwood of the desk and looked at the clock literally every five seconds. 

Amanda finally came back and she shuffled into the room slowly, drawing Professor Quirrell's attention to her, and then the whole class’. Flitwick was two steps behind her and McGonagall behind him. 

“M-Minerva, Fil-Filius. How can- can I hel-help you?” Quirrell asked as he wrung his hands. McGonagall took a step forward and gave the twitchy man a fierce glare. 

“Something has been brought to our attention. I believe that it is best to follow us.” 

“Of- of course. Class- class dismissed.”

Harry quickly packed his things and ignored the confused and curious muttering of his classmates. He grabbed Amanda’s things as well and strode through the door. He spotted Amanda leaning on the wall and walked over to her. 

“Any chance that you want to stand conveniently nearby and put a few listening spells into use?” Harry asked with a smirk as he handed her bag over. Amanda smiled and nodded. 

”You read my mind.” 

Harry and Amanda stood next to the classroom door and cast disillusionment charms and silencing spells on themselves. Harry looked at Amanda with a raised brow and waited until she nodded to cast the eavesdropping spell. 

“-to our attention that you may be faking your stutter. I believe it is best that you come with us.” McGonagall said. 

“F-faking? I-I would be-never!” 

“Then you shall have no problem accompanying us to the Headmasters office and clearing this up.” Harry frowned at Amanda as silence pursued for about thirty seconds. 

‘What’s happening?’ Amanda mouthed to him. 

Harry shrugged and looked towards the closed door. 

“Reducto! Diffindo!” Harry’s eyes widened and he moved towards the door as he heard more spells being fired off. Amanda held him back and shook her head. 

“He’s attacking them!” He whispered fiercely. 

“It’s two against one. And Flitwick is a dueling champion,” Amanda whispered back. “They’ll be fine.” 

“Stupefy!” After that spell, there was no more. 

“Well, I guess that proves it, doesn’t it Filius?” 

“It does Minerva,” Flitwick answered. “I believe it is time to get the headmaster.” 

“Yes, a Levitation charm should do.” There was a brief pause before McGonagall called out, “You two can come in now!” 

Harry and Amanda looked at each other before sighing and heading into the classroom. Harry looked around the classroom and saw Quirrell slumped against the far wall. The desks had been thrown around and the chairs overturned. It was a mess. 

Flitwick watched as the door opened and nothing else before he cast a quick finite. He looked at his two first years and shook his head, exasperated. 

“Of course it is you two,” Flitwick said. Harry and Amanda smiled sheepishly. “Well, you might as well come with us, you were the ones who reported it.” 

“Yes, sir,” Harry and Amanda said in synch. They waited for McGonagall and Flitwick to leave, the latter levitating Quirrell, and followed closely behind.


End file.
